Review: Lukhanyo Mdingi Spring/Summer 2023 Collection
Days before Lukhanyo Mdingi's sophomore Paris Fashion Week showing, presenting his Spring/Summer 2023 menswear collection, the Eastern Cape native introduced his upcoming offering to his followers on social media with a series of posts. One of the Instagram captions, ‘An odyssey of craft, distilled to its purest form,’ was framed and tucked in a corner at the presentation today (June 21st). The artwork, alongside gold basins, water hoses, (tools used to dye textiles) and woven fabrics draped on cube Peugeot Kisbee Scooters, set the tone for Mdingi's inspiration as a designer.
From 2016, when Lukhanyo Mdingi told GQ South Africa, "I believe in the importance of using your time and talent to contribute to your country and making it what you envision it to be," to now, Mdingi is consistent with designing collections that support African artisans, their craftsmanship and their communities. Back then, Mdingi's experimental collections played with Avant-garde shapes and genderless designs that challenged traditional menswear ideas and South African fashion. For Spring 2023, the clothes are more wearable (perfect for the retailers on his stocklist), still fluid in unisex designs, and incorporate handwork from local artisans --this season, Mdingi worked with the CABES Textile community in Ouagadougou - Burkina Faso.
The collection featured crochet-knit tanks, hand-dyed shirting and t-shirts, shorts, and tracksuits with "Burkina" patches giving the streetwear garments a certain je ne sais quoi (the American meaning). Thin super-sized silk and chunky mixed-media mohair scarves --popular pieces from his Fall 2022 collection--, accessorized Mohair embellished jumpers and pleated trousers and skirts. Every designer can't intergrade a multitude of colors and textiles, ideas on gender expression, design techniques, and personal values into a critically acclaimed line. But, Lukhanyo Mdingi is doing so, and with each garment, you can see LUKHANYO MDINGI, the critically acclaimed brand stocked at sense.com and Selfridges, and Lukhanyo Mdingi, the man who’s values were on full display at his presentation. That deserves a well done.
