International fashion designers in SA for Africa Fashion Week

Established South African fashion-world heavyweights including Marianne Fassler, Errol Arendz, Stoned Cherrie and David Tlale will show alongside global talents like Deola Sagoe (fresh from New York Fashion Week) and current celeb-favourite LaQuan Smith.

Xuly Bët, the Paris-based go-to label for many celebrities, including Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill and Neneh Cherry, will be opening this year's Africa Fashion Week. The award-winning label recently made global headlines with the "Obama" dress at New York Fashion Week.

A multi-layered extravaganza

Marianne Fassler, who has not shown for two years, will be showcasing a collection entitled Global Gathering. The collection, a multi-layered extravaganza will focus on the idea of beginning: Africa as the birthplace of mankind and children as the original designers. Her show will open with a small capsule collection designed under her direction by two children Adam (seven) and Sibella (nine), before continuing on a journey that pays homage to Africa's polyglot of nations.

Joining her on the schedule is New York-based label Mataano. The soft, feminine line is designed by the Somali sisters Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim, who have been likened to the Olsen twins of Africa and have featured on CNN and Oprah.

Other designers travelling from the US include Laquan Smith, the current favourite of Rihanna (he designed the gold jumpsuit for her Rudeboy video) and Lady Gaga.

Mimi Plange, who has worked with designer Rachel Roy and Patricia Field, the famed Sex and the City stylist, will be bringing her sophisticated, yet deeply romantic, label Boudoir D'Huitres to Africa Fashion Week.

British press attention

Bunmi Koko, a UK-based label has been garnering British press attention over the past year with her innovative, structured designs favoured by celebrities such as Mel B (who chose a Bunmi Koko couture dress for the 2010 Brit Awards). Alesha Dixon, Alex Curran, Sadie Frost and Kate Middleton will also be showcasing on African soil.

Local South African brand Stoned Cherrie will be marking their 10th anniversary with their Africa Fashion Week show. Their Summer 2010 collection is a retrospective look at the label's silhouettes throughout its history.

"Africa Fashion Week is providing a platform for shining stars from across the diaspora, the continent and the country," said Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, chairperson of African Fashion International. "The world continues its love affair with all things African; African as a point of reference, not as a cliché, and it's very important we here in Africa continue to support that."

More than 27 designers

Completing the line-up of designers at Africa Fashion Week 2010 are Sakina Msa, Ituen Basi (last year's Africa Fashion Award winner for Innovative Designs), Soucha, Heni Este-Heijzen and Christie Brown (joint winners of last year's Emerging Designer Award), Noir, Qumi Bespoke, Koketso Chiepe, Gloria Wavamunno and Abigail Betz, Thula Sindi, Carducci and Fabiani.

The four-day event features more than 27 designers from Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, Uganda, Botswana, Ghana, Somali, Tunisia, French Comores, South Africa, Mozambique, the US and the UK.

For more information, full show schedules and highlights from previous collections, go to www.africanfashioninternational.com

Tickets available from Computicket from 7 June.