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Fashion & Homeware South Africa

Fashion Week turned inside out by Suzaan Heyns

Last week's opening show of Joburg Fashion Week 2011 on Wednesday 16 February saw Suzaan Heyns' autumn/winter collection 'Die Vorm', produce a study of the anatomy of fashion with flesh tone-inspired colours gradually give way to whites, charcoals and black, all complementing the exaggerated silhouettes that mimic the human form.

Speaking of the inspiration behind her decision to examine the human form so intimately, Heyns said, "I wanted to take the inside of the body and reveal it on the outside, flipping it inside out. The idea behind this collection was to flip fashion on its head by focusing on the inside of the body, rather than the outside, and on showing your real inner self."

Avant-garde film, designs

Her show was produced by fashion show producer Deon Redman, who delivered a precise mix of creativity and realism to balance the inspired collection. It opened with a short film, directed by Jeana Theron from Bouffant Films, featuring the designer's muse Verena Mengel going under the knife. Dressed in corsets, silk and high heels, the two male surgeons embodied the designer's interpretation of the third sex. Fabric spilled from the incision in the model's torso to create the opening design, which was then displayed by the muse herself, surrounded by a metal cage.

The collection was completed by architecturally-inspired wedge shoes from designer Julia Lundsten's UK-based shoe label Finsk. Heyns said, "We both use the same basis as our inspiration to create and finding inspiration from architectural designs we can push the boundaries. Craftsmanship is a silhouette of design and to have collaborated with a brand such as Finsk illustrates that fashion is forward-thinking. People constantly seek cutting-edge, and as designers we need to deliver."

Sponsors of her show included Impulse, Axe, Elle Decorations and Voila.

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