Thebe Magugu was announced as this year’s winner of the LVMH price. Not only was he the youngest in this year’s final at 26 years, but he is also the first African to be in the finals, yet alone win the price. In addition to his 300,000-euro winnings, Magugu will receive one year of business mentoring from LVMH.
His Mission
“My overarching mission as a designer is to showcase a contemporary South Africa,” he said. “So many people have stale ideas of what that means and I really want to change that. There are so many creatives doing incredible work in South Africa. I’m looking forward to traveling but I really want to stay there because it feeds my own creativity.”
His Mandate
“I think in art, certain movements stem from times of suffering, because art allows people to deal with traumas in a proactive and beautiful way. That’s what I do with my clothes. I tend to look at South Africa through this lens and ask how I can turn all of this pain on its head,”
His mission and mandate have never been more fitting than now, when South Africa has been hitting the headlines for the recent surge in xenophobia attacks across the country. Division on the continent and hatred for our fellows is an antidote for digression. Yes, it is true that Africa is not a country but an element of unity is vital to the continent’s elevation and maybe the creative industries/economies can be a force to evoke change and present a new narrative or at least a new perspective on how to embrace the many different cultures and tribes.
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