Following an exciting season of South African Fashion Week, After the Runway presents a city-led celebration of Cape Town’s fashion and design community. Conceived as a cultural extension of the runway experience, the one-day event brings together a new wave of local designers in a more intimate and accessible setting, creating space for connection, visibility, and continued conversation around South African fashion.
Hosted by Helon Melon, who opened this season’s programme, the event convenes a cross-section of designers contributing to the current fashion landscape. Participants include Emelia Dorcas, winner of the SS26, SA Fashion Week’s Scouting Menswear competition, alongside finalist Victori ZA, as well as Michael Ludwig, Artho Eksteen, and Kate Sara Boutique. Together, they represent a spectrum of perspectives, aesthetics, and approaches that speak to the richness and diversity of contemporary local design.
Rather than replicating the runway, After the Runway extends its momentum. The event offers an opportunity to experience collections up close and within context, encouraging meaningful engagement between designers, media, industry guests, and audiences. It is both a showcase and a celebration — foregrounding Cape Town as a city with a distinct and increasingly influential fashion voice.
“This moment is about creating visibility and celebrating the incredible creative energy within Cape Town,” says Sumendra Chetty, Curator of After the Runway. “South African Fashion Week plays such an important role in giving designers a national platform, and this event allows us to continue that conversation within the city — bringing collections, designers, and audiences together in a way that feels immediate, personal, and community-driven.”
Arriving at a key moment in the fashion calendar, the event also reflects a growing appetite for platforms that support designers beyond the runway format. By opening collections to direct public and media engagement, it extends the life of fashion week while reinforcing fashion’s role as both cultural expression and community dialogue.
For editors, broadcasters, stylists, and digital platforms, After the Runway offers a concentrated view of Cape Town’s current design landscape — from emerging talent to established names — all within a single, accessible setting.
