Tyla has effortlessly risen as a global fashion icon, her style proving as dynamic and captivating as her amapiano-infused pop anthems. More than just South Africa’s biggest musical export, she represents a new wave of sartorial confidence, blending high-octane luxury with a distinctly youthful South African flair.
From Grammy-winning stages to the front rows of international fashion weeks, she consistently commands attention, looking every bit the million-dollar — or, should we say, billion-rand — superstar.
Your Luxury Africa delves into the closet of style phenomenon Tyla to uncover the designers, influences, and visionary team behind her unforgettable looks.
Tyla’s Signature Glamour
Tyla’s style is a masterclass in confident, body-conscious glamour. It can be distilled into a few key elements that define her signature look.
Central to her recent narrative is the theme of “Sandy Sophistication”, a direct and clever extension of her global hit Water. This plays out through wet-look and liquid metallic fabrics that create a dripping, mercury-like effect; a colour palette of shimmering aquamarines and deep, sparkling nudes reminiscent of a sun-drenched beach; and mermaid-core silhouettes featuring figure-hugging gowns with dramatic, flowing trains.
As Tyla said on social media: “We’re just having fun with it… the wet look, the dripping [styles]. It’s all a part of the world we’re creating.”
This thematic approach is underpinned by a fearless celebration of her figure. She frequently champions confident, body-conscious silhouettes — from strategic cut-outs and assertive corsetry that defines her hourglass shape, to playful minidresses that offer a youthful counterpoint.
Perhaps most relatable is her versatile approach, which effortlessly pivots from a custom couture gown on the red carpet to an oversized blazer with cycling shorts the next day, proving her style is as adaptable as it is polished.
Her Creative Team
Since her rise to fame, Tyla has collaborated with renowned international stylists such as Katie Qian, Lee Trigg, Dione Davis and, notably, Law Roach, who styled her for the 2025 Met Gala and the 2025 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.
For Tyla’s most recent chapter, that creative visionary is American stylist Ron Hartleben. When Tyla’s team reached out, he was instantly on board. His response? “Yes, of course, please. That is my muse. I can do so much.” And so he did. His first project was the conceptualisation of her album art.
Ron describes a meeting of creative minds, culminating in a shared vision of Tyla as an “earth goddess”.
“I love vintage, I love layering, I love stacking,” he told Nylon. “We had a deck when we were talking about the album art, and it was in line with the look for that video. We came to this mutual agreement that she is this earth goddess. Very ’90s, like [stylist] Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele in the Naomi [Campbell] editorial with [photographer Steven] Meisel, where she’s in all this African jewellery, but with pop-star quality.”
Luxury Fashion Houses
Tyla’s rise to fame has been welcomed by the upper echelons of the fashion world, with several luxury houses vying to dress her.
Her relationship with Versace has been particularly significant. She has appeared in vintage pieces from the house’s Fall/Winter 2004 collection and, most memorably, wore a custom Atelier Versace pale green gown to accept her first Grammy. The endorsement was mutual, with Donatella Versace publicly praising Tyla, saying on Instagram: “You embody everything Versace stands for — power, creativity and confidence.”
The architectural, body-conscious designs of Mugler are another natural fit. Tyla has championed the brand — from attending the Mugler x H&M launch in a cut-out dress from the collection to featuring in Glamour South Africa in a breathtaking vintage Thierry Mugler “Vampire” Couture dress from 1981.
For added downtown edge, she frequently turns to Alexander Wang, whose studded sandals and full outfits complement her street-style moments.
And of course, we can’t forget her show-stopping appearance at the 2024 Met Gala, where she wore a custom Balmain gown crafted entirely from sand — a viral moment of pure fashion spectacle, conceived by Olivier Rousteing.
Rooted in South African Style
Despite her international success, Tyla maintains a powerful connection to her South African heritage, consciously collaborating with and uplifting local design talent.
Among them is Mmaphuti “Phuti Styles” Movundlela, a talented stylist and designer celebrated for her bold, quirky aesthetic. She has collaborated with Tyla on several projects, most notably serving as the wardrobe stylist for the Been Thinking and Jump music videos.
Tyla also has a notable creative partnership with Johannesburg-based LVMH Prize winner Thebe Magugu, who dressed the star for music videos and her Vogue 2024 cover. He sees her as a representative of South Africa’s cultural renaissance and praises her hands-on, creative approach to styling his collections. He highlights her ability to “twist, tuck, cut and transform” his designs to make them uniquely her own.
“Being from South Africa, we have our own style. I love incorporating that… I love representing where I’m from,” Tyla said in a TikTok post.
