Join us for the next instalment of Artist Alliance Conversation in Creativity event series, in collaboration with Creative Nestlings, where you can meet, connect, and engage with the creative community.Artist Alliance is built on the belief that in the creative community’s responsibility to amplify and nurturing young artists, it aims to strengthen and connect Cape Town’s creative industry community through these dialogue series, providing a platform to be part of a community and grow resources for support, knowledge, and development.Immerse yourself in this newly presented series of dialogues featuring creatives and cultural practitioners from diverse disciplines such as art, design, fashion, music, architecture, film, photography, illustration, playwriting, food, and more. Gain valuable insights into building creative careers, products, and businesses.Our next event is on 27 July at the iStore Dock Road Junction where we will be exploring the fashion industries with guest host Modupe Oloruntuba. Our panellists of experts will dive into the world of fashion, including design, production, marketing, and sustainability.Book your spot: HERE MEET THE HOST Modupe Oloruntoba @lukhanyomdingihttps://modupeoloruntoba.com/ Modupe is a Johannesburg-based writer, consultant, and content strategist with a passion for African fashion, beauty, and creative industries. With a versatile portfolio spanning features, profiles, and copywriting, she has worked with notable clients like Rich Mnisi, Vaseline, and Woolworths SA. Modupe is also the Brand Development Director at Brothers Beard and writes the African Fashion Weekly newsletter. Her expertise and warm demeanor make her the perfect host for this podcast, bringing insightful conversations and African creatives to the forefront. MEET THE PANEL Modupe Oloruntoba @lukhanyomdingihttps://modupeoloruntoba.com/ Lukhanyo Mdingi’s eponymous label is an ever-evolving emergence of consideration, community and timeless design. Born out of Cape Town, South Africa in 2015 - the label exists as a space that moves deeply into the very essence of human ingenuity & the preservation of craftsmanship.Fundamental to the cosmology of LM is the exploration of fashion as its current lexicon through which they harness the spirit of being human. In this way, the label re-imagines and reinstates dignity and notoriety in their garment production; with a small team based in Cape Town, while continually collaborating with Artisans on the continent such as the expert weavers from PHILANI in Khayelitsha, Cape Town - to Textile Artisans at CABES GIE in Burkina Faso. Their approach to design is a practice that is centered around these relationships; it is from these symbiotic connections that Lukhanyo Mdingi conceptualizes their collections, believing that beginning with human beings is where the essence is held for creating meaningful & intelligent design.With notable mentions, the Lukhanyo Mdingi label has had the opportunity to exhibit select archival bodies of work in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London as well as the Brooklyn Museum, New York as part of the Africa Fashion Exhibition. In working with the notion of lineage-building; this is particularly noted in their partnership with the Ethical Fashion Initiative, as well as being the recipient of the LVMH Karl Lagerfeld Prize in 2021, leading on becoming a finalist of the ANDAM Prize 2022. These on-going relationships continue to nurture the label’s longevity, balancing both the creative & entrepreneurialspirit with which Lukhanyo Mdingiis known for, this led to the label being awarded the GQ Designer of the Year Award 2023 and the honorary recipient winner of the AMIRI Prize 2023.Having debuted at SA Menswear Week in the year of their inception, 2015, the label has presented at New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week to acclaimed reception. This eternal reverence for the hands that make is centralto Lukhanyo Mdingi’s vision, and the label is a testimony & dialogue occurring on African soil as intention to emanate outward across the planet.Lukhanyo Mdingi currently resides on the board of the annual Advisory Committee for the Design Academy of Fashion – Cape Town Mikael Hanan @mikaelhanan @thefieldsstorehttps://fieldsstore.com/ Mikael is the founder, CEO and Creative Director of FIELDS, a contemporary menswear brand. FIELDS explores the multifaceted nature of men and expresses this through products sourced and made from natural fibres by factories throughout Southern Africa.On completing his MBA, he spent 5 years as Co-founder & COO of South Africa's biggest online fashion retailer, Superbalist, a subsidiary of Takealot. In 2020 he joined ARC employee #2, entrusted with creating and building the beauty brand as well as its digital offering. Anita Hlazo @anitahlazo_ Anita Hlazo is a Fashion Designer with clothing label Afrogrunge. Anita's narrative unfolds against the backdrop of Cape Town's diverse cultural tapestry, where she navigated the complexities of adolescence with a keen sense of individuality. Inspired by her surroundings and driven by a yearning for representation, Anita embarked on a journey that would redefine the boundaries of fashion and identity.Fuelled by a fervent passion for music, fashion, and self-expression, Anita seamlessly melded elements of black culture with the subversive allure of grunge. Embracing studs, piercings, and thrifted treasures, she forged a style that defied convention and celebrated individuality.The catalyst for Afrogrunge emerged from Anita's quest for representation and accessibility. Faced with a dearth of spaces that resonated with her eclectic aesthetic, she resolved to become the change she sought. Armed with a degree in Fashion Design from the Cape Peninsula University of Cape Town, Anita embarked on a mission to redefine the fashion landscape.Afrogrunge isn't just a brand; it's a testament to the power of visibility and self-affirmation. Anita's journey of self-discovery intersected with pivotal encounters that shaped the trajectory of Afrogrunge. Daniel Sher @danielsherreturns @duckduckgoosestorewww.duckduckgoosestore.com Daniel Sher is a Cape Town based, Johannesburg born fashion designer and entrepreneur. He has 14 years of experience in clothing manufacturing and design industry, having joined his wife's family business after completing his articles and qualification as a Chartered Accountant.Daniel's work for his fashion brand Good Good Good is heavily inspired by the people and places of Johannesburg and Cape Town, and his work has a strong reference to his personal lived experiences and his ideas of the world. A key modus operandi of his work is to contribute to the rebuilding and strengthening of the South African clothing & textile industry. Daniel is also the founder of Duck Duck Goose, a multi-brand store that is home to a curation of independently owned South African fashion and lifestyle brands.
