Suzaan Heyns Opens JFW

 

I had the privilege, nay, the pleasure, of attending Suzaan Heyns’ show for Joburg Fashion Week last night. The show was in the innerghettocity, at the Bus Station. Now, I have been to fashion weeks around the world [Well, I’ve been to Cape Town, seen photos of Paris, videos of New York and been to London in my dreams] and last night, to be honest, surpassed them all. The idea of having an event like fashion week in the nitty gritty of the city, seems to most people like a distant dream of something fitting in where it doesn’t. But people, it so does. Unlike any Cape Town show I’ve seen, the show was full and every person there was dressed superflippingfly. Some of our spotted biggish names in our minds were, Dion Chang, Marko [Man of the Cloth], Chris Viljoen, Sharon Becker, Mari Smit, Ella Buter and many others.Being in a non-conference room like venue, the entire ambience was different. Less intimidating and more like one big well dressed party. Okay, that’s enough of me trying to save the world one non JHB believer at a time. Suzaan’s show was exactly that, a show. Starting off with a stop start motion video of creepy, idontwanttodreamaboutthemtonight surgeons, it went into a parade of garments made from unexpected fabric choices in ways you wish you had thought of and then copywrote. Each piece has an extreme amount of detail - braiding, pleating, gathers, it was all there. I won’t write anymore in fear of using less adequate wording where acclaim is due. My flatmate AnMari is holding out for a piece, I’m being realistic, counting my pennies for petrol and hoping a coat arrives in my A5 sized post-box.  Oh P.S – I sat in the front row so I got a trendy goodie bag filled with treats, one being a Suzaan Heyns key ring. So I’m almost there.