MALKERNS – Fashion designers from Eswatini, Lesotho, South Africa and Mozambique turned the Luju Festival stage into a living library on Saturday night, interpreting the theme ‘Kwasukasukela’ with such range and drama that the audience was left clamouring for an encore.
Kwasukasukela, the siSwati expression for ‘Once Upon a Time’ set the tone for an evening that felt less like a runway and more like storytelling around the fire. Curators framed it as a tribute to imagination shaped by heritage, inviting guests on a journey back to the roots of African narrative.
Katiso ‘Joachim’ Tsoho, a designer from Lesotho was one of the designers that showcased a beautiful range of Lesotho attire with a majority of his models adorned in thick blankets representing Lesotho heritage.
Next range to be showcased was from Mozambican designer, Lizette Chirrime, whose attire was uniquely made to attract the audience.
The pieces anchored a programme that saw four nations speak through cloth. Eswatini designers leaned into beadwork and emahiya-inspired silhouettes, Lesotho brought Basotho blanket textures reimagined for evening wear, Mozambique offered flowing capulana prints cut with architectural precision and South African labels pushed bold tailoring and sustainable fabrics. Each collection treated “Once Upon a Time” differently — some as myth, others as memory, several as a future fable.
The result was a runway that honoured tradition without being bound by it. By the final walk, applause had turned into chants for “one more.” Organisers may have called it a show. The audience left convinced it was the first chapter.
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