As the industry grapples with its environmental footprint and sustainability becomes fashion’s new frontier, it’s safe to say that South Africa is shaping that future with quiet force.
At the helm are Sindiso Khumalo and Lezanne Viviers, two visionaries who see circularity as foundational to the future of African couture. Both designers elevate artisanship, centre women’s narratives, and treat their distinctive creations as vessels of cultural storytelling.
Where Lezanne frames fashion as a spiritual dialogue with nature, Sindiso grounds it in tradition. Both blend heritage and conscious luxury.
Lezanne Viviers: Fashion as Spiritual Practice
In Johannesburg, the forward-thinking, sustainable, unisex brand VIVIERS is redefining local, luxury ecowear. Her avant-garde creations, which amalgamate various media and New Age philosophy through a love of natural materials, were recently presented at Milan Fashion Week.
Founder Lezanne describes her methodology as rooted in unity and intention, by designing with love, reverence, and an awareness of our shared responsibilities.
“Ultimately, our influences are as much about the personal – our shared humanity, our sense of community, and our spiritual awareness – as they are about cultural and artistic expression,” says Lezanne.
Sindiso Khumalo: Crafting Legacy Through Design
For Cape Town’s Sindiso, the craft has always been deeply personal. Drawing from her background in architecture and textiles in the UK, she sees clothing as both functional and symbolic – with legacy serving as inspiration and responsibility.
Much of this inspiration comes from her family, including her children and mother, a freedom fighter during the apartheid era.
Growing up with Zulu traditions shaped her vision, but it was motherhood that crystallised her commitment to sustainable design.
“Having children was probably one of the most defining moments in thinking about what I’m leaving behind,” she reflects. “You start to question everything: what you’re eating, how you consume. That’s actually how I became a sustainable designer.”
For Sindiso, clothing transcends utility. She strives to create heirlooms imbued with comfort, confidence, and charm, much like the works her pattern-maker grandmother left her.
“If you are bringing in a product, make sure it’s going to be of value; something that lasts.”
Sindiso’s commitment was internationally recognised with a joint win for the prestigious LVMH Prize in 2020, followed by a two-year collaborative project with & Other Stories, which placed her designs in 25 of the brand’s stores worldwide.
“It was a huge honour just to be recognised and design for them,” she says. “My friends saw me in Times Square.”
Shared Philosophies and Collective Purpose
VIVIERS’ journey has its share of triumphs, too. Yet for Lezanne, one of her most meaningful achievements remains the ability to constantly sustain and support her team each month.
This, she says, is just as important as collaborations and headlining projects like NURU African Collective Showroom at Cape Town Art Fair, or Wool World at the Karoo Winter Wool Festival.
“These milestones are expressions of our spiritual and ecological philosophy,” Lezanne explains. “They honour the rhythm of nature, celebrate human creativity, and nurture the luminous potential in both our team and the communities we form a part of.”
For Lezanne, fashion is not a solitary pursuit but a collective ecosystem, dependent on trust, collaboration, and care – especially when creating a brand that’s ecologically conscious.
“Together we have reached many milestones, learnt hard lessons, and found our shared rhythm, all while discovering joy in creating,” she reflects.
A Blueprint for the Future
Sindiso echoes her sentiments.
“Every single big house started off with one small designer at some point,” she says. “I think teaching creators how to run the finance and business side of their creativity, and giving them room to nurture it, is really important. I’m very lucky. My brother’s an engineer, and he taught me about lean manufacturing quite early on.”
What unites these two artisans is a shared belief that young talent should be fostered, and that fashion must move beyond excess and spectacle.
“Too often, sustainability here is practised instinctively but without enough institutional backing,” Lezanne says.
Sindiso agrees.
“I get so inspired by meeting new designers and seeing what they’re up to.The industry has room to grow in how it responds to and supports young talent – because you can’t get the talent out there if you don’t support it, right?”
Sustainability as Storytelling
In the hands of Lezanne Viviers and Sindiso Khumalo, sustainability is no fleeting trend – it’s a blueprint for the future.
Through every thread they weave, their creations demonstrate that fashion can be both a vessel for cultural storytelling and a catalyst for a more sustainable future.
