Local brand says 'Amen' to sustainable SA fashion

Local designers Bradley Muttitt and Abiah Mahlase are all about sustainable fashion. 

The founders of "Amen," a South African fashion brand that made their debut at Africa Fashion International Cape Town Fashion Week (AFICTFW) 2020 - showcasing their Ke Tshwere Ke Tlala (I am hungry) collection, calls on creativity that can be held accountable. 

The duo are all about are amplifying the voices of the voiceless and for this collection, the inspiration comes from lived experience of scores of people that many have become desensitized to. 

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Watch as the AMEN Duo prepare for their 1st ever online showcase as @afi_sa calls off the last day of Fashion Week due to COVID-19 . . Designers: @brad.muttitt @abiahsuperstar 📹: @thatwomanmorgan . Ke tshwere Ke tlala - Hungry Boy/designer- AMEN A/W 21 The unseen, unheard, of society. The streets of Johannesburg are filled with unemployment. Beggars stand at every robot intersection begging for food, money, work or an opportunity. Although on the surface, it seems they are only ones begging for work. Across all industries and field, most of society’s members, both uneducated and educated, are begging for job opportunities. As African designers we beg the audience to support local product and design by purchasing and supporting the work of local designers in a sea filled with international imports that are rolled out faster and cheaper than the local industry. Ke tshwere Ke tlala - a tswana phrase meaning ‘ I am starving/hungry’ - is the title of The AMEN A/W 21 collection which began with the placard held by a beggar on the side of the road. The placard read, ‘Hungry Boy, I don’t do crime. Pls help. No food. No job. No clothes. Thank you. God bless. ‘ Models walked out to the deafening silence of a no audience with the sound of the Lord’s Prayer playing in the background. . . #iamafrica #afifashionweek . #fashionweek #online #quarantine #lockdown #covid_19 #video #videos #videoshoot #instagramvideo #videoclip #videoinstagram @afiboutique #videostar #vid #instavideo eos #videogram #videograms #videooftheday #instavid #bestvideooftheday #videodiaries #dreamscometrue✨

A post shared by AMEN Interior Fashion SA(@ameninteriorfashion) on May 21, 2020 at 11:59pm PDT

"Amen Fashion continues to activate the support for local design and aims to interrogate the individual’s sense of adventure through the art of playing dress-up while cultivating a sophisticated and conscious consumer, that makes considered purchasing decisions. 

"Lived experience of scores of people that many have become desensitized to. Amen Fashion continues to activate the support for local design and aims to interrogate the individual’s sense of adventure through the art of playing dress-up while cultivating a sophisticated and conscious consumer, that makes considered purchasing decisions." read a statement by the brand. 

Amen's proposition is looking into a sustainable way forward through the blending of our past, present and envisioned future.

Here are some of our favourite looks from the Ke Tshwere Ke Tlala collection. 

A showstopper coat by Amen Fashion. Picture:AFI. 

Multilayered dress by Amen Fashion. Picture: AFI. 

Amen to this flamboyant skirt. Picture: AFI.