MBFWJ 2015 - Gavin Rajah's "Resort" Collection

Gavin Rajah’s latest showing was not all that it was promised to be... 

When a designer – any designer – sets a standard, we become accustomed to viewing fashion at a certain level. Many local and international designers know this pressure all too well; the saying could not be truer than in the world of fashion: you are only as good as your last collection. This is precisely why many designers come and go in the eternal ebb and flow of the sartorial tides. Season after season, excited young designers take to the runway only to be long-forgotten names at next year’s fashion week. Of course, there are many names that have stood the test of time. The reason for this is because of the high levels of quality, the integrity of singular creative vision and the seamless follow-through from a conceptual level to runway-ready execution remain flawless and true to the brand.

However, there are also those designers who tend to ride the wave of previous glories much longer than should be allowed. Recent scandals aside, Mr. Rajah’s latest showing at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Johannesburg lacked the artistic integrity which has established his name as one of South Africa’s top designers. The purpose of this article is not to delve into the ongoing topic of fashion plagiarism where this particular designer is concerned; instead it aims to look critically at the state of fashion in a country with great fashion potential. This potential can only be realized if critical voices of reason are able to cultivate platforms of discussion. This should in no way discourage designers from bravely displaying their craft. Instead, it should work to encourage a form of constructive criticism that this industry so severely lacks. We tend to revel in scandal but scarcely provide the critical means for development and growth.

So where were the faults with Gavin Rajah’s ‘Resort’ collection? To begin with, it felt somewhat inappropriately named. We understood that this collection aimed to provide resort wear options for affluent travellers vacationing in exotic destinations. This would encompass swimwear, causal options as well as more stylish resort wear pieces. However, in this particular instance it felt as though the term ‘Resort’ was simply used to bring together an odd assortment of items which only loosely fitted the ‘Resort’ theme. There most certainly are some individuals who would be thrilled to wear these items while on summer vacation in the Mediterranean but it did not necessarily translate well as a collection with creative focus.

Gavin Rajah's 'Resort' provided items lacking in clear artistic vision

This leads on to the next criticism of the collection. A current trend in varied creative disciplines is the skill of ‘curating’. This refers to the process of presenting items in such a way so as to make them appear handpicked and organized along specific creative and artistic lines of thought. Exactly the way a museum or gallery curator would present a collection so as to create a narrative, so a designer would curate a fashion collection to present a specific story or to evoke a particular feeling. The importance of curating is currently being emphasized in various creative endeavours. As consumers, we are bombarded by products and services constantly vying for our limited attention. We need all of this to be packaged in a way that makes sense to us, with an overall end product which is aesthetically pleasing as well as desirable. In many ways, Gavin Rajah’s latest showing did not provide this curated viewpoint. It latched onto various different trends in fabric, style and design without singling out the designer’s artistic vision when bringing all of this together. 

This collection lacked a 'curated' look -
which distracted from the beauty of certain items

An important element is also the way in which the collection is presented to us. A high degree of anticipation needs to be met with opening pieces that instantly captivate the viewer. Sadly, the opening swimwear items in this particular collection failed to do that and provided a poor introduction to the pieces that followed. As a fellow fashion insider said at the end of the show: ‘it’s the fashion equivalent of writer’s block.’ We could not agree more.

Some of the opening swimmer items: lacklustre to say the least

Thankfully, the artistic world always provides opportunities for a comeback. These may become fewer the further we get into a designer’s career but those opportunities are always there. The testament to this is that the fashion community was eagerly awaiting the new collection after the previous scandal. We certainly hope that Gavin Rajah’s next collection will be that much-needed comeback for a designer of his standing.

Below are some examples of international designers who have managed to pull off superb Resort collections. It is interesting to note that certain 'classical' couturiers have managed to capture the resort wear theme with incredible accuracy and style...

Carolina Herrera's Resort 2015 collection:
simplicity and effortless style

Elie Saab's Resort 2015 collection:
some intricate details with muted colours

Alexander McQueen's Resort 2015 collection:
craftsmanship meets holiday wear