South African female design duo Carina Louw and Natasha Jaume are headed to Paris this September to showcase their collection.
The founders of Erre have been invited by Share Africa, in partnership with a luxury fashion company, the Kering Group (think Balenciaga, Gucci, Alexander McQueen, etc), to participate in their spotlight on African design venture – Africa Fashion UP.
The design duo will showcase their latest collection titled “Home” in Paris on September 17, ahead of Paris Fashion Week.
Speaking about the collection, Louw said: “With this collection, we wanted Home to remain true to our core yet embody the inherent resilience and humour of South Africans in facing the odds thrown at them.”
“We have also drawn on our unique floral heritage to inform our bright colour palette for this collection, which is also a symbol of promise for brighter beginnings and a celebration of our ‘Mbokodos’ (rock-solid) women of South Africa. As always, our garments will be beautifully constructed technical pieces that provide strong statements for women of courage and hope,” she said.
She also thanked Africa Fashion UP for the opportunity. “It is an extraordinary privilege to be invited to be part of this project. The opportunity to take our brand and share it with the world is incredible, and we are excited to present a collection that embodies our spirit as a people and new world order in refined power dressing for women”.
Jaume added that as ambassadors of locally sourced Mohair, they can’t wait to show the world what South Africa is capable of.
“Mohair is used by many of the top brands worldwide, but few know it originates in South Africa. Africa Fashion UP is also a chance to remind people that not only does South Africa have a wealth of talent, it also has desirable resources that are sustainable,” said Jaume.
To prepare for the show that will take place at the legendary Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild, the pair is also invited to participate in a workshop hosted by Balenciaga.
Launched in 2013, Erre is known for producing silhouettes that effortlessly envelope all body shapes and sizes.