Thebe Magugu, winner of the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers, teams up with Dior

Dior teams with Thebe Magugu for an exclusive capsule collection supporting the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project.

Initiated by Maria Grazia Chiuri, this Dior collaboration showcases a new generation of fashion designers who conceive and make their creations in South Africa, the native country of longtime Dior ambassador Charlize Theron. The Creative Director for Dior Women’s collections wanted to deepen support for CTAOP, a foundation created in 2007 to aid youth in Southern Africa, both financially – a donation has been made on behalf of Dior – and artistically.

This dialogue between Paris and Johannesburg debuts with Thebe Magugu, winner of the 2019 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers. The first African to receive this prestigious distinction, the 28-year-old designer continues to celebrate powerful women in his creations. His clothes, he says, are “a constant ode to the powerful and independent matriarchs who raised me.” The designer’s storytelling approach is inspired by a cross-fertilization of the various disciplines he studied, spanning fashion design, photography and media. Launched in 2016, his eponymous brand recounts the stories and crafts on which it thrives, becoming a sort of encyclopedia. His clothes proudly act as reminders that future generations can look back on to better understand cultures and peoples.

Reinterpreting the iconic New Look through a contemporary feminist vision, Thebe Magugu presents a collection that revisits essentials such as the emblematic Dior Book Tote crafted in a large format in the Dior Oblique fabric, expressing the Maison’s expertise. A design of two female profiles holding hands – a symbol of sisterhood – adorns a cotton t-shirt produced entirely in South Africa. The same graphic is reprised in bright yellow on the Diorcamp bag, as well as on a silk twill scarf constellated with the Dior signature. The hyper-modern, hybrid silhouette is echoed in a matching bob adorned with two drawstrings, a distinctive feature of the designer’s creations.

” I am proud to introduce my new capsule in collaboration with DIOR (@dior); one that benefits CTAOP (@ctaop)– a foundation created by my fellow South African Charlize Theron (@charlizeafrica), which invests in the health, education, and safety of young people living in Southern Africa. Maria Grazia Chirui (@mariagraziachiuri) asked me to use Dior’s iconic ‘New Look’ as a base silhouette, which I interpreted through a variety of key wardrobe staples. The collection features our iconic Sisterhood emblem – representitive of themes of unity and empowerment prevalent in both Maria Grazia & I’s work – on a cotton T-shirt, a yellow silk twill scarf, the emblematic #DiorBookTote and more” – said Thebe Magugu.

This limited-edition capsule collection was released on October 27.

To learn more about initiatives supported by CTAOP, please visit charlizeafricaoutreach.org.