South African Designer Thebe Magugu Collaborates with Dior

Thebe Magugu, one of South Africa's most prominent fashion designers, recently collaborated with Dior's Maria Grazia Chiuri to give a new interpretation of the "New Look" in support of Charlize Theron's Africa Outreach Project.

The charity was created in 2007 by the South African Academy Award-winning actor to support the health, education, and safety of youth in southern Africa, and to help stop the spread of HIV in the country. So far, Dior has made a lump-sum donation to Theron's charity.

While discussing the project Magugu said that South Africa would largely benefit from the charity because the country was currently struggling: "I think the country has an undying loyalty to her, as they should. I think she’s made us extremely proud and I love that she uses her platform to funnel back resources, financial or otherwise, and the charity into the country,” said Magugu. “It’s just so heartwarming that they’re so dedicated to others.”

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Magugu, a young South African fashion designer, became prominent after he won the 2019 LVMH Young Fashion Designer Prize and became a finalist in the 2021 International Woolmark Prize. Earlier this year, he made his first collab with a sports brand, by partnering with Adidas on uniforms that were worn by high-profile players at this year's US Open.

In a recent interview, Magugu talked about the massive impact of Dior, even in his small hometown. "I'm from a small mining town called Kimberly, a place which sometimes is completely overlooked on certain maps. But even there, people are very familiar with Christian Dior," he said. "It sort of revolutionized how women dress."

For his collaborative project with Dior, Magugu revamped several Dior looks by adding unique shapes and dimensions to many of the already-existing signature styles. While commenting on the collaboration, Chiuri, the creative director at Dior, praised Magugu's creative vision and direction. "He revisited these items, which are now part of my creative alphabet at Dior, adding his own signature," said Chiuri. "We went from a silhouette with a Bar jacket to a printed T-shirt — an interesting take on this emblematic look, which truly connects both of our approaches.

Magugu said Dior’s feminine silhouettes, forgiving of curves and hips, are appreciated on the African continent “and quite flattering to the body.”

The South African fashion designer first met Chiuri when he was competing for the prize at LVMH's Prize for Young Fashion Designers and has maintained a good relationship ever since.