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Rites of Passage: African Menswear Designers Draw on Tradition to Create Progressive Collections

Designs from Stiaan Louw’s collection

Top 10 African Menswear Brands List for 2012 in no particular order:

1. Stiaan Louw
Stiaan Louw is a Cape Town-based menswear brand by a fashion creative of the same name. He started out with womenswear and was soon drawn to menswear, which allowed subtle nuances and legroom for experimentation. Stiaan Louw is one of South Africa’s most progressive menswear designers with a portfolio of work that establishes his credibility, locally and internationally.

2. Adriaan Kuiters
Adriaan Kuiters is the sublime menswear brand by Cape Town-based designer, Keith Henning. The brand is inspired by Keith’s globetrotting grandfather, Adriaan Kuiters. The collections follow a global footprint from a uniquely African perspective. The brand produces clothing meant to fit into any lifestyle without compromising individuality in their designs. It has nostalgic influences from the 1950s and includes meticulous attention to detail. It’s about cut, fit, and understated elegance. Classically modern.

3. MaXhosa Knitwear
MaXhosa Knitwear is a South African knitwear label for men. In essence, it’s a brand designed to cater to the immediate fashion needs of men who have transitioned into manhood through traditional ceremony. Laduma Ngxokolo, the creative director behind the brand, sees MaXhosa as a lifestyle brand that will soon extend its reach into home design and décor desires throughout the globe…

Read more: Monde Mtsi, Okay Africa

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