The art of staging fashion

The SA Fashion Week (SAFW) Autumn/Winter 2025 season will be hosted at the Melrose Arch Precinct this September 26—28. This year’s event is set to adopt a dynamic new format combining runway shows staged in a “never used before” double volume basement parking space in Melrose Arch, with a line-up of lifestyle and brand activations throughout the precinct. The urban design of the Melrose Arch with its cosmopolitan and European will help facilitate messages about where SAFW finds itself now.

The exciting development is in sync with the dynamism that SAFW has shown in their staging over the years. From a “purpose-designed white marquee” in what is now the Mandela Square in August 1997 when SAFW was launched, the leading fashion platform has gone on to stage nuanced shows at distinct venues that have helped enhance the stories and messages of the designers in poetic and edgy ways, while letting the state and history of the country reverberate through walls of the different buildings. These have included Turbine Hall, Museum Africa, Arts on Main and the Wolmarans Synagogue in downtown Joburg. These stagings have accentuated the idea of a fashion show as an art form.

And this is SAFW director Lucilla Booyzen’s forte. She created Runway Productions in 1982 when she returned to SA after modelling in London. With the company she introduced new ways of staging fashion when local fashion shows at the time were mostly affiliated with horse racing events or Miss SA pageants.

She reflects on then and now, and what it takes to stage fashion successfully.

The name Runway Productions invites one to think deeply about staging fashion. What are the important things to consider when putting a fashion show together?

Fashion delights and stimulates! The models, the lights, the set, the music, the venue are all aspects that the international fashion houses exploit, at terrific expense, to showcase the season’s new collections. In SA, where the industry is much smaller and our budgets, more modest, the ultimate goal remains the same; to engage with the audience and media in an evocative and thrilling manner. A good show with a good collection results in exposure for the designer which ultimately translates into financial success. 

Clear communication is paramount in terms of staging fashion. All parties involved need to fully understand your intentions and the processes involved; from the production and technical staff to the models.

Venue is also of the utmost importance — it needs to resonate with the brand you are showing and comply with all the technical requirements that are required to deliver with perfection, on time, meeting and surpassing your client’s expectations. Sometimes the venue chosen may be ideal from a brand perspective but totally inappropriate from a technical point of view. This is where the challenge of simply having make it work can turn a difficult and unusable venue into a unique and memorable experience.

What stands out for you about the first staging in 1997 in Sandton? How did it fulfil your vision? 

Working on international stages gave me an insight into the commitment it takes to execute a production with perfection, working with only the best and most experienced available.

For the first SAFW in Sandton Square — I worked with the best teams in SA — one thing I have learnt is that your production is as good as the weakest link in your team. 

I knew that this could not succeed in this venture without a team in which everyone was an expert in their fields — from the set and lighting designer to sound engineers and set builders. 

We used the best marquee suppliers who had to hoist the marquee on barrels to increase the height. Backstage, we assembled the best makeup artists and hairdressers; the models were the best we could find in SA.

I like how certain stagings help to enhance the storytelling of the designers. Jacques van der Watt’s Black Coffee Develops With Time Summer collection (2005—2006) showcased at the Wolmarans Synagogue stands out for me. He used elderly models and the venue accentuated his conceptual idea. You have had SAFW shows at interesting venues. Which have been some of your favourites? 

The choice of venue and setting cannot be overemphasised. I love using interesting venues that stimulate the guests and media. Watching a production should evoke all your senses. It should be like a poem, a novel or special piece of music.

Regarding the Synagogue — this building had always made an impression on me and when it became available, I allocated the designers to this space as I thought it would be appropriately enhance their collections. That season we showed Black Coffee, Stoned Cherrie and Clive Rundle there. These were collections that were eminently suited to this unique and unusual venue. The Turbine Hall, Museum Africa, The Bus Factory and the Synagogue are a few of my standout venues.

Which set designer are you working with for the Melrose Arch showcase this year? 

Paul Pamboukian has been our set and lighting designer. He brings his global knowledge of lighting and fashion staging to SAFW.

Melrose Arch will form the backdrop to the SAFW experience, from the time the guests enter to the time they leave. Similar to other art forms, everything connected to fashion design revolves around a feeling and an experience and the lighting and setting help in complimenting the mood and visual excitement.

The quality of the images that go out to the local and world media are important for the business of fashion and the manner in which our SA designers present themselves. This is directly influenced by the appropriate lighting and the correct setting.

What do you want this staging to say about where SAFW is at the moment?

Melrose Arch is the perfect home of SAFW — never before could the media, influencers, VIP guests and clients of SAFW have access to an open and secure precinct with its diverse offerings and urban feel, similar to that of other countries in the world. The freedom of walking in the streets of Melrose Arch offers a new dimension to this season.