Lukhanyo Mdingi

Lukhanyo Mdingi is the designer behind the Cape Town-based label of the same name. Mdingi graduated with a degree in fashion design from Cape Peninsula University of Technology in 2014 and launched his label the following year. Since its inception, the business has focussed on collaborating with artisans and NGOs to make room for traditional African crafts in luxury fashion, and in doing so helping to nurture the communities that practice them.

Having made his debut at South Africa Menswear Week in 2015, Mdingi’s design ethos, rich colour palettes and processes — among them the intricate use of materials like kid mohair and linen — drew praise and industry acclaim. In 2021 he was the recipient of the LVMH Karl Lagerfeld Prize, and the following year he was named a finalist of the Andam Prize and GQ South Africa’s Designer of the Year. In 2023, he received the Amiri Prize. Mdingi, who has presented at both New York and Paris Fashion Week, has exhibited in London’s Victoria & Albert Museum and New York’s Brooklyn Museum. He is a partner of the Ethical Fashion Initiative, and a board member of the advisory committee for the Design Academy of Fashion (DAF) in Cape Town.