Watch the Fashion Bridges Documentary
The third edition of ‘Fashion Bridges – I Ponti della Moda’ is being presented by the Embassy of Italy in Pretoria, in partnership with Polimoda Firenze and Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, and with support from Centro di Firenze per la Moda Italiana, in collaboration with South African Fashion Week (SAFW). The primary objective of this groundbreaking project is to encourage collaboration between South Africa’s fashion and textile industries and their Italian counterparts.
On the 21st of April at 20:00, Mall of Africa in Johannesburg will host the initial phase of the project with fashion shows by Italian designer Federico Cina and South African designer Viviers Studio at the SAFW. Furthermore, the designers will have the opportunity to interact with fashion institutes, trade associations, media, and businesses, exchanging their experiences, knowledge, and creative styles.
Johannesburg
🇮🇹 Italian designer: Federico Cina
Federico Cina’s roots are firmly planted in the small village of Sarsina, nestled in the heart of Romagna within the province of Forli-Cesena. From these humble beginnings, the fashion brand has emerged with a mission to deliver exquisite and sophisticated looks to the runway, that capture the romantic essence of the history and culture of Romagna.
Craftsmanship, sustainability, and humanity are at the core of the FEDERICO CINA ethos. Every collection is steeped in the rich heritage of the designer’s homeland, showcasing a deep appreciation for the traditional values and customs of generations past. The brand’s aesthetic is truly unique, with a timeless charm that evokes a sense of nostalgia and sentimentality.
The young designer’s deep connection to his origins is evident in every aspect of his collections. From the fabrics he uses to the cuts and styles of his garments, every detail is carefully considered to pay homage to the rich history and culture of Romagna. Through a continuous dialogue between generations of the past and present, the brand’s aesthetic is constantly evolving, reinterpreting traditional male silhouettes through a new concept of elegance.
For Federico, sustainability is about more than just creating fashionable looks – it’s about supporting the Romagna ecosystem and providing opportunities for local businesses, artisans, and people. By keeping the brand’s headquarters in Romagna and producing garments with local fabrics, FEDERICO CINA ensures a high standard of quality while supporting the local community. It’s this commitment to craftsmanship, sustainability, and humanity that sets FEDERICO CINA apart and cements its place as a leading name in the world of fashion.
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South African designer: Lezanne Viviers
Lezanne Viviers | Viviers Studio
Lezanne Viviers is a Johannesburg-based fashion designer and the founder and creative director of VIVIERS, a sustainable, handcrafted clothing brand. Before founding the brand in 2019. Viviers matriculated from PJ Oliver Art School in Stellenbosch, where she majored in sculpture. After graduating from the Elizabeth Galloway Academy of Fashion Design in 2010, she worked with iconic South African fashion designer Marianne Fassler, becoming the creative director for the brand from 2015-2018.
Born in Cape Town, Lezanne exchanged the natural splendour of the Cape, for the cultural melting pot of Johannesburg, the city of Gold. where she moved in 2011. The vision of the brand is to bridge between communities that see themselves as mutually exclusive, by creating a manifesto where narratives meet in the raw form of the arts. VIVIERS facilitates an umbrella-like platform, where through the arts, for artisanal collaboration and architecture, creatives can challenge institutional norms through clothing. VIVIERS focuses on a sensual experience.
Established in paradoxes; the boyish girlishness of the collections’ pieces could be both sophisticated, yet simultaneously rebellious, hard yet soft, organic yet synthetic. The garments are construct- ed from rare and unusual textiles that make up seamlessly imperfect garments, that Lezanne strive to cut to perfection. The designer is inspired by a Japanese sensibility and how it trans-migrates, through interpretation, in an African context. Shokunin in Japan means craftsmanship; however, it exceeds the mere fact that something is made by hand. It implies that something is made joyously, considerately, beautifully, but made to the utmost of your capability.
This sensibility is shared in ancient African beliefs. Spiritually and materially, Shokunin or craftsmanship is an approach with a social consciousness, which to Lezanne blurs the line of arts and crafts. An artis(an) vs an artis(t). Ubuntu has the same meaning in South Africa.