Fashionistas, designers and models alike will be alighting on the Mother City this week for the Virgin Mobile Cape Town Fashion Week, which kicks off on Wednesday, 13 August. Running in conjunction with the event is South Africa's first taste of a global phenomenon: the guerrilla store. I'd first come across this concept at the +27 Fashion Exchange a few months ago, where delegates were told about the "here today, gone tomorrow" concept stores that are taking the retail world by storm. These are relatively simple stores that pop up with little, if any, warning, quickly pulling in the crowds with their basic sale racks that often sport designer labels, only for the stores to disappear as quickly as they'd launched. Speakers at the Exchange said the only hang-up this concept may have in SA, is that we may be a little slow on the uptake, and by the time we realise it's there, the store has already gone. I, for one, am very intrigued by the idea and am looking forward to seeing it in action with Baileys Fashion Weekend. So if you're in the mood for some fast fashion, good music and a side of cream liqueur, swing by The Runway in Woodstock this weekend to check out what's in store - and help do your bit for Unicef while you're at it.

Shan Radcliffe, Retail editor retailnews@bizcommunity.com Photo: Design by Darkie at last year's CT Fashion Week