Confections x Collections 2025

C O N N A D E’s presentation reflects the brand’s signature aesthetic: architectural silhouettes and minimalism through an African lens. Designer Shelley Mokoena’s background in interior design shines through her sculptural garments and organic elements. “I work with a lot of colours and textures that represent nature. I’m always looking at this idea of working with what is already around me,” she says.

A theme of restraint ran throughout the collection, expressed both in the design and in certain pieces – a crochet full-face mask and a dress that concealed the wearer’s hands.

“Restraint is also about protection of the self: It’s about staying true to yourself,” says Shelley. “I was really interested in the spiritual power of hands, too, especially in African spirituality. I wanted to interpret that through not only the dress but the collection itself.”

C O N N A D E’s monochromatic palette and a splash of red came together with intricate detailing – pleats, artistic draping, tassels and crochet. “It’s an experiment in a lot of texture and patience,” says Shelley. The collection was styled with hats by The Real Crystal Birch which were crafted from wool in collaboration with Gerber & Co.

The label recently made its Paris Fashion Week debut in October 2025 with the Spring/Summer 2026 collection, Hand in Hand. C O N N A D E is now available at AKJP, with the label’s website set to launch early next year.

For the second day of Confections x Collections, or Act II, UNI FORM unveiled its new collection, Exhale. Designer Luke Radloff, together with creative director Bee Diamondhead, invited the audience to slow down and be fully present with the garments. The presentation reflected Radloff’s signature take on contemporary classics and tailoring, underscored by a pared-back live soundscape from Muneyi. The air in the room was thick and textured, punctuated by the rhythmic sounds of a live weaving installation.

At the centre of the show, master weaver Tivane Mavuma from Barrydale Hand Weavers worked steadily at the loom, highlighting the care and effort that goes into each piece.

Luke describes his work as emotional tailoring. “This speaks to the emotional toll it takes to make something of value from where we are in the world, and also to the emotional connection one can have to a garment.”

Closing Confections x Collections 2025 with Act III was MaXhosa Africa, returning after its CxC debut in 2022. This was the brand’s first South African show of the year, presenting IZIPHO ZABADALA A Gift to the Ancestors, a collection first shown in Paris last month. Here, garments are imagined as offerings to the ancestors in the afterlife, created to honour, adorn, and share with them an era in fashion they never witnessed.

For founder and designer Laduma Ngxokolo, sustainability is a crucial component of the CxC ethos. “Our brand is based on creating products that are mainly made out of natural materials, because we live in a world where global warming is a reality,” he says. “The consciousness behind the concept [of CxC] addresses all the things that young designers should be learning about, because they are the next paradigm who will shift everything which we are doing today.”

Laduma shared that, when first starting out, young designers often dream of celebrities or idols wearing their work. Now, as an established designer, he finds his imagination moving beyond that, into the ancestral realm. 

“We took this art from them, and they never lived long enough to see what we have evolved within our cultures. I’m sure that they are proud that we shook loose our sense of imposter syndrome of our cultures,” he says. “We are repackaging it for ourselves for the future and showcasing it to the world as an alternative.”

MaXhosa Africa is set to open its 10th store next month, one which is centred around its lifestyle items.