IN CONVO - with Chu Suwannapha

Chu Suwannapha has long been renowned for his personal sense of style. His recent SA Style Award was testament to a fashion-forward individual always pushing the envelope of men's fashion through his personal sartorial choices. When one looks at a dresser as 'avant garde' as Chu, it is a natural response to think: 'I could never wear that. He has a knack for putting items together beautifully'. Thus, it was with great excitement and anticipation that we went to Cape Town to view Chu's first collection at the inaugural Menswear Fashion Week. The point of great interest was how precisely Chu would adapt his personal style sensibility into a ready-to-wear collection for South African men. 

We often joke about the fact that we're the same height
as Chu and fit into the same sizes!

The Chulaap collection certainly did not disappoint. It was a perfect blend of Chu's Asian roots intertwined with his African abode. The collection was described as 'East meets South' and this was the perfect summary: from Origami inspired crafting to knitwear that had a distinct hybrid quality, this collection managed to marry two diverse design traditions into one seamless whole. For men not yet used to this level of stylistic interpretation, we were pleased to see that almost all of the pieces could be worn as stylish separates and dressed down or up. Of course, we loved the way it was styled for the runway: an evocative blend of an earthy South African feel combined with Chu's authentic sense of style. 

Chu's iconic looks have established him as one of the most
cutting-edge fashionistas in the country

We caught up with Chu to chat about the inspiration behind this collection. We know that Chu is well-known for his personal sense of style. Before seeing his collection, the central question on many lips was how he would take this and transform it into a collection of menswear items. In terms of inspiration for the new collection, Chu emphasised that his main aim was to celebrate Africa and that he was inspired by local street styles. 'I love mixing cultures and the idea of crossed cultures when coming up with my design ideas,' Chu explained. 'The main idea was to reinvent the existing African prints to make them cool, quirky and current.' In many senses, he wants his customers to feel like they are wearing fashionable items as opposed to traditional wear. From an Asian point of view, Chu confessed that he has always been obsessed with origami. He blended these divergent style backgrounds by choosing African prints which resembled the interpretation of Japanese paper wraps. Chu's take on this: 'You may say that I’m creating my own prints with the appliqué of origami.'

Prints for the modern man


When asked about his take on the dress sense of the average South African man, Chu believes that his collection can spruce up any man's wardrobe. He described his collection as modern and fresh. 'It’s all about being cool and unique.' We were curious as to why this was the right time for Chu to produce his first collection. 'I've always wanted to launch my own label but I took this opportunity as soon as SA Menswear Week and Cape Town Fashion Council approached me to do a show. I think you always sense when the time is right or not. But sometimes you have to take a chance and take the action to make it happen.' In this instance, Chu's gamble has certainly paid off. Judging by the response to his collection and subsequent reviews, this will be the first of many collections to come. 
Africa meets Asia

Chu expressed that he is incredibly excited but does not want to rush the progression of the Chulaap label: 'at the moment I will take one step at a time. I don’t want to go too big too soon. I’m still taking baby steps.' We expect that Chu's baby steps will soon turn into great strides - strides that will take South African menswear to the much-needed next level. The word 'Chulaap' means luck and success: hopefully, his choice of name for his label will be a sign of the many good things to come. 
The knitwear pieces were a highlight of this collection