Thebe Magugu and Singita – A Collaboration of High Design and Heritage

Acclaimed South African-born designer Thebe Magugu has made his mark internationally on the fashion world, bringing contemporary African creativity to the fore by using his craft as a channel for storytelling, and propelling an African heritage narrative forward into the fashion conversation.

Winning the prestigious LVMH Young Fashion Designer Prize in 2019 and a finalist in the 2021 International Woolmark Prize, he’s garnered critical recognition in addition to amassing an impressive portfolio of work. Since 2017, Thebe has released 11 solo collections under his namesake label, as well as several capsules in collaboration with brands such as Dior, Adidas, and AZ Factory.

Thebe continues to evolve as an artist, and his journey bears parallels to Singita’s metamorphosis as a brand in his commitment to honour and celebrate Africa – its people and diversity.

Singita has a long legacy of celebrating contemporary design in Africa and draws on the continent’s myriad cultures in many aspects of the guest experience. Our new partnership with Thebe speaks to the brand’s 100-year purpose of preserving the continent’s cultural and natural heritage for future generations. This is expressed in the Thebe Magugu Heritage Series – a collaboration with Singita that celebrates the continent’s culture through fashion.

The ‘Heritage Series’ is a collection of nine dresses depicting a mother and child from nine African cultures.

Magugu collaborated with a talented illustrator, Phathu Nembilwi to capture the essence of each tribe’s traditional customs and the universal joy of maternal love. Each dress in this collection represents South Africa, Lesotho, Malawi and Swaziland’s nine prominent tribes: VaTsonga, Ndebele, VhaVenda, Zulu, Basotho, BaPedi, Xhosa, Tswana and Swati.

“Seeing the women in my family have to carry children on their back and supplies on their head always reminded me of Afro totem poles; a showcase of utter physical and symbolic strength, and I wanted to pay homage to this memory,” says Thebe.

These remarkable and dynamic pieces will be available for purchase at Singita’s properties in South Africa – both Singita Sabi Sand and Singita Kruger National Park, in the lodges’ Boutique & Gallery spaces. These spaces were recently extended and reimagined to house African art and collectable design in 2022 and focus solely on foregrounding African artistic excellence.

Visit one of our beautiful Boutique & Gallery spaces during a stay with us, or explore the pieces here.