Stefania Morland

After a very exciting and busy week in Johannesburg for Africa Fashion week, the Stefania Morland team is back on familiar ground making magic happen in the studio. We attended a fabulous media launch at Vilamore in Sandton on the Wednesday night, which was the official start to fashion week. Everyone was very excited and of course very chatty. Who wouldn’t be! It was fashion heaven, being able to see inspiring designers showing off their talents and creations I felt like a lucky fashionista star! The trunk show was open the whole week, it as held at a beautiful house, a big thank you to Linda Notelivitz for her incredible hospitality. Thursday was a hectic but glamorous day prepping and preparing for Stefania Morlands show that evening. We attended a few shows before the big show down of Stefania Morlands retro spective journey winter 2012 collection. Her and daughter Shana Morland’s range was a mixture of diverse cuts and styles, using a timeless and elegant colour palette of black and cream with touches of red and metallic. The fabrics and texture’s flared down the catwalk showing off French lace, ribbon roses, beading and embellishments. My personal favourites for the collection were the two beaded and lace bridesmaid’s dresses that epitomized exquisite beauty. The black and cream striped flirty skirt and the cream silk evening gown with a velvet halter and bow, which was worn by Ajuma a true African beauty from Kenya. The faux fur boleros and jacket that gave off a rich and stylish look and of course the beautiful wedding gown, that would make anyone feel like a princess. A true Stefania statement of her style. After the show Stefania and Shana were riddled with interviews, after a long day we headed back to the hotel and got ready for the trunk show the following day. South African designers have definitely taken a giant leap and are forever maintaining a specific style that catches the public’s attention. It was an absolute pleasure to be apart of this wonderful experience, and I’m so proud of the wonderful work Stefania and Shana are portraying, true inspiration!

Trunk Show Relaxing before the show!

The excitement begins…tonight Africa Fashion international presents African Fashion week 2011 with 30 designers from different countires across the continent. Stefania Morlands retro spective journey takes off tonight at 9pm at the Sandton convention Centre. Stefanias new winter 2012  collection is a collaboration of elegance, rich textured fabrics, focusing on the elements of design with a lot of emphasis on the fabrics and detailing. The colours are inspired by lace and beautiful detailing around the colour palette of black and cream with a dash of red- bringing out the playful elegance. As always the pieces are femine, classic and timeless.

True african beauty’s will gracefully be walking the catwalk tonight, showing off just how talented Stefania and daughter shana Morland collaborating are.

Live life beautifully in the direction of a retro spective journey.

Stefania Morland will be showcasing at Africa Fashion week 2011 in Johannesburg on the 20^th of October.

If you are fashion savy or just have an intriguing eye for beautiful creations, be sure not to miss Stefania Morlands show, with her daughter Shana Morland collaborating alongside her. An unforgettable winter collection inspired by a retro spective journey, focusing on the stylish colours of black and white. The fabrics are cozy and fascinating to the eye. A journey not to be missed. Watch this space for more info. x

The debut for eco fashion was in 2005 at New York Fashion week, so many designers had been playing around with the idea for ages mixing and matching organic fabrics and natural fibers, finally they had there “coming out” party at the exclusive renown New York fashion week, sporting some very creative hemp, bamboo and recycled polyester looks. This was in 2005;we have come along way  and spread the green love across the globe. Designers are making great use of all these organic fabrics and incorporating them into there collections, 24 fashion brands and designers donating an eco friendly item from there fall 2011 collection with the funds going to ‘runway to green’, designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Manolo Blahnik, Alexander Wang and Burberry are working with the NRDC to help businesses become green. Eco also took centre stage at this years Milan fashion show with two platforms celebrating ethical design.  Some more fresh energy for the environment is LA based Chipkos, a company that’s boasting about “the worlds most expensive flip flop” created with artist David Palmer, this particular flip flop is not the norm, hand painted 60’s ashram style sandal that features eco friendly gold and sells for $18,000. What’s so amazing about this invention is for each sale of the flip-flop will protect 100,000 square feet as part of their “stand for square feet campaign.

Going green allows you to form an imagination with your creations as a designer, either using beautiful natural fabrics or transforming rubbish into wearable art, what we like to call paper couture. A company called as right as rain, took natural to a whole new level by planting and harvesting shirts leaving the design to the unpredictability of nature, a wow to having a unique real natural T-shirt.

More people and especially designers are very aware and are doing some wonderful things in return for our planet saving plea.

It makes my heart happy that people are embracing the fact that toxins and pollutants are never in style.

Ruffle skirts are a growing trend with designers all over the world bouncing inspiration off each other. Designers such as Dior, Donna Karen, D&G, Anna Sui, Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino have all brought the signature ruffle look into the collection in someway. Showing off different ideas, whether it be Anna Sui’s lolly bud print ruffle skirt or valentino’s red mini ruffle skirt pairing with a black turtleneck. The ruffle skirt is uber chic and flaunts girly fun and femininity. It can be paired with anything from big belts and combat boots or tight T’s and killer heels to a simple vest and pumps- depending on the occasion and of course your mood. And the good news is that ruffle skirts look great on any body- wear heavier fabrics for a boy-build, or lighter weights for heavy hips. Whatever your style or shape, there’s a summer ruffle for you.

Enough of this silly talk with people thinking ‘eco-fashion’ means dressing in a potato sack or better – like a hippy. Join society’s concerted effort to save nature by adopting trends that will protect generations to come.

Sustainable fashion means using resources in a way that helps the environment, one dress at a time. For example, ethical fashion includes the use of sweatshop free labour, energy efficient processes, alternative energy sources and low impact dyes. The creation of eco-friendly garments means a reduction in the use of toxic chemicals, less land and water and green house gases. This means a huge environmental footprint that is better for the earth, its people and animals.

At Stefania Morland, we go the extra mile to create garments that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but safer for the environment. We are in the process of acquiring the EU Green Flower Eco Label, supporting Stefania’s dedication to natural fabrics and energy-efficient manufacturing methods.

It’s the love and creativity of the human spirit that makes us happy to be involved in something as great as the environment. Show your love. Wear something green.

In true South African fashion Stefania Morland had yet another very successful and memorable show at Cape Town Fashion Week, the finale that was much anticipated for was definitely well worth the wait. Birds and their natural habitat inspired this year’s fashion show; this was definitely portrayed throughout the show. Kyle Morland made an incredible bird mobile that hung from the ceiling flying paper birds, which completely captured the attention of the audience along with imagination. The colours were magical going from soft greys to vibrant oranges. All the beautiful colours were showed off with such style by the assortment of fabrics and textures, silk satins and chiffons paired with sequins, beads and other charming embellishments. It’s amazing how Stefania can take such gentle colours and mix them with strong striking ones.

The audience beamed with delight at the collection coming down the runway and related well to the bird theme of the collection. The birds that the audience could connect with were the sparrow, dove, owl, flamingo, flower pecker and finch. These birds symbolized the various colour palette, and also their significant meanings, such as grace, trust, migration, elegance, peace and wisdom. The looks were put together in a true Stefania style with layering, belts and signature bird necklaces and even beautiful adornments for the shoes that gave the Stefania edge. The clouds surrounding the venue, moved at the right time to the music, which was spectacular. The finale dress was something truly amazing, putting everyone at a wow state of mind. Everything from head to toe was done with such perfection, some people don’t look so great with twigs in there hair, but kitted out in Stefania that look definitely works, on top of the beauty the model sang which was something very special. Stefania’s playful design aesthetic has once again stolen the hearts of a lot of people.

Xxx

It’s always a good thing to see the clothes we make photographed in such a beautiful way. This is our past spring/summer 2010 collection styled by Cally Palmer… happy looking!