Thebe Magugu Teams Up With Dior on a Capsule Collection for a Charitable Cause

Words by The Folklore Team

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It’s safe to say that South African designer Thebe Magugu is a man in high demand. Fresh off collaborations with Alber Elbaz’s AZ Factory and sportswear giant Adidas, the 2019 LVMH Prize winner has teamed up with luxury house Dior to create a capsule collection for a charitable cause. 

Inspired by Dior’s famous “New Look”, the cinched-waist and flared-skirt look that the house popularized in 1947, the collection is Magugu’s interpretation of one of the house’s most iconic design codes. The brand’s artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri charged Magugu with creating “a reinterpretation of the iconic New Look through his contemporary feminist vision”. The result is a South African-made cotton T-shirt printed with an illustration of two women holding hands, which appears as a symbol of friendship and sisterhood. Other highlights in the capsule collection include a pleated sheer tulle skirt, a canvas bucket hat rendered in Dior’s instantly recognizable Oblique print, as well as Magugu’s take on the popular Book tote bag. The collection nods to a combination of founder Christian Dior’s design legacy and creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri’s feminist sensibilities.

According to Grazia Chiuri, this collaboration is an opportunity to establish a transgressive dialogue between a heritage fashion house and a young but prominent diverse brand, by shining a spotlight on South African craftsmanship and African design.

Magugu is the latest designer Grazia Chiuri has snapped up to create their own interpretations of the New Look, following similar collaborations with London-based brand Wales Bonner and American visual artist Mickalene Thomas.

Dior has announced that a portion of the proceeds from the collection will go to the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, an organization founded in 2007 by actor and Dior ambassador Charlize Theron to promote AIDS prevention and education programs in South Africa.

The limited-edition capsule will be available to shop on October 27 across Dior’s flagship stores in Paris, New York and Los Angeles.