Johannesburg-based fashion designer Thebe Magugu is using his Heirloom Collection (love letters to loved ones in clothing form) to raise life-changing funds!
Johannesburg, South Africa (05 August 2024) — Renowned South African fashion designer Thebe Magugu is nothing if not a storyteller. However, his latest collaboration earmarks not a story to be revisited but one to unfold thanks to a team-up with the RED—an organisation making support for those impacted by AIDS more accessible!
In case you haven’t met Mr. Magugu yet, he is one of South Africa’s most acclaimed names in fashion. From creating garments rocked by the likes of Rihanna to earning accolades like the LVMH Prize for Young Designers and, recently, the first-ever Global Excellence Award from the Top 16 Youth-Owned Brands Awards, Thebe’s pull is not just that he’s fantastically creative and talented, but also that he is centred on fashion for impact —making South Africa beyond proud.
Largely, the designer’s focus has been on bringing African voices to the world of Westernised fashion. In fact, last year, he won an award at a United Nations event for his dedication to positive impact where he was praised for his “dedication to capturing forgotten histories and cultures through fashion”.
But revitalising histories through fabric is only one aspect of Thebe’s curiosity. Another lends itself to gaze to a better future, which is exactly what the RED Foundation are working toward.
The RED Foundation was founded in 2006 in response to the AIDS crisis as a funnel to raise funds for organisations like the Global Fund. This way, critical programmes are able to be supported; empowering healthcare workers and offering healthcare in areas where it is lacking.
Thebe has teamed up with RED through his Heirloom collection—a special collection that honours the people in our lives. Through custom-made designs, the clothes act as a wearable love letter to those in our lives.
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Last year, Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o famously praised her Heirloom garments that acted as a visual telling of her grandmother.
“Heirloom is a very special project for me, because it gets to immortalise through cloth not only my own memories, but the memories of others as well. Creating an archivable ‘log’ of one’s life. It is extra special that this project also gets to contribute to (RED)’s critical mission of fighting AIDS through the power of fashion. I have seen the effects of HIV/AIDS up close, having lost family members to it, and watching others manage the condition, I am personally invested in this cause. Being in South Africa, we have one of the highest rates in the world”—Thebe Magugu.
Proceeds from the collection will head to RED and in this way, tell the story of a fashion designer and a world that helped those in need simply by honouring the people they love.
Sources: RED
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