FOUND LISTED ON CEC'S 'TEN ESSENTIAL WINTER WARDROBE PIECES FROM LOCAL BRANDS'

It’s a humbling thing to realise that you will never know all that there is to know in one given space – I’ve just had this experience in the context of local fashion. South Africa’s landscape is mighty but small, but I’ve sometimes found myself wondering if we were heading for a kind of oversaturation; if you know Interlude, or my writing on SA fashion, this is basically a cardinal sin for me. Thankfully, I realised that I just wasn’t looking hard enough to find new (and established) brands – just in time for our ‘Winter Essentials Guide’, where we give you a sampling of the local smörgåsbord available this season. 

As always, our ‘Essentials Guide”   is a mix of masculine and feminine, and while the emphasis here is on womenswear, there are some menswear pieces to marvel at with most of the brands that are featured, offering pragmatically unisex and gender-fluid garments. Thankfully, fashion is continuing to abandon the rules on gendered approaches – while ensuring that body shapes and curvature are well-designed for.

I was once again struck, while writing Chapter 28, with the realisation at just how brand-identity centric South African designers and founders are; I think in many ways, this sets us apart from the rest of the world. Drawn from a vast creative landscape of graphic designers, web-builders and the likes of; really good art direction appears innate to South African creativity in the last two decades. The concerto of brands featured are each storytellers in their own right: solving a problem, finding a narrative, and building worlds – with clothing as their primary tool. When we invest in local brands, we’re investing in the economy of those we admire, and all the ways in which their brand kindles the flame of our garment manufacturing industry. I know I don’t need to convince you, but I thought I’d just remind you – I think we have a sartorial responsibility to shop locally whenever possible.

FOUND GOLF'S BELL SLEEVE SHIRT | STRIPE | WHITE

I’m obsessed with a couple duo – and further to this, a duo that sees a gap and dives straight in. Found was launched last year, and it’s the answer we need to the untapped elevation of golf wear that transitions beautifully into streetwear. Look, preppy fashion is perennial, and from the minds of Lance Peach and Ellen Keillar, golfwear becomes a metaphor for interesting design iterations of all our favourites. As Lance explains, “we look to re-interpret classic styles through a modern lens that rejects the necessity for gender specific garments and stuffy old traditions.” So, when CEC’s EIC Candice rocked up to lunch in the most insane bell-sleeved, striped shirt and told me it was Found  – I knew they were onto something. Now, Found have just launched the White Bell Sleeve Shirt. Both feature gorgeous detailing, incredible silhouette and as you well know, having an array of interesting shirts will never not be essential. Street smart yet golf cart! Get it, immediately!