African Artistry Meets Culinary Craft at Mount Nelson, Cape Town: CONFECTIONS x COLLECTIONS 2025
CONFECTIONS x COLLECTIONS 2025 Mount Nelson, Cape Town
Cape Town, South Africa – November 2025 – Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, Cape Town, welcomed the city’s creative community once again for the fourth edition of CONFECTIONS x COLLECTIONS (CxC). Over three immersive days, CxC celebrated slow fashion, Pan-African design, culinary artistry, and craftsmanship, showcasing visionary collections by African designers against the iconic backdrop of the Pink Lady Hotel.
This year, CxC unfolded through three distinct acts under the theme “Our Homecoming” – symbolizing a return to purpose, self, and community. Each chapter celebrated Africa’s creative luminaries and their influence in shaping the future of fashion.
Jonathan Lubala, Brand Director of Belmond Southern Africa, said:
“This year’s edition honours Africa’s timeless fashion legacy – a legacy that nurtures cultural exchange, connecting kingdoms and generations. Our Homecoming represents more than a theme – it’s about returning to what grounds us: our culture, creativity, and community.”
Co-curated with the sustainability-focused platform Twyg, CxC continued to illuminate Africa’s rich sartorial storytelling. Seth Shezi, Master of Ceremonies, led intimate and thought-provoking conversations with designers, giving deeper insight into their creative worlds.
Jackie May, Founder and Editor of Twyg, added:
“We’re here to honour the vision and craftsmanship of contemporary African fashion designers, whose garments are masterfully crafted in Africa, for Africa, and for the world.”
Act I: Soil – East African Inspiration
The opening act, Soil, featured Yoshita1967 by Anil Padia, marking his first showcase in South Africa. Drawing from his Indo-Kenyan heritage, Padia’s designs celebrated ritual, femininity, and cultural fusion. Each garment was elaborately crafted with hand-crocheted glass mirrors and signature silver bells, producing delicate chimes as models paraded around the century-old hotel fountain, creating a true sensory spectacle.
Padia explained:
“My work contextualises craft within the current moment. Yoshita1967 deeply explores the involvement of the hands who produce our garments.”
Johannesburg-based C O N N A D E by Shelley Mokoena presented ‘Hand in Hand’, recently debuted in Milan, now on African soil for the first time. Her sculptural womenswear, completed with statement headwear by milliner Crystal Birch, explored architecture, fluidity, and African spirituality.
Mokoena said:
“Sustainability from an African perspective is a way of being that the continent’s designers embody naturally. My design practice speaks to the motif of hands throughout African spirituality and material experimentation through texture.”
Act II: Threads – South African Craftsmanship
The second act, Threads, showcased UNI FORM by Luke Radloff, winner of the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation x Orveda Prize. The collection highlighted slow garment-making through hand-spun fabrics and meticulous craftsmanship.
A live weaving installation by Tivane Mavuma of Barrydale Hand Weavers, combined with a soundscape by Muneyi, brought the collection to life. Bee Diamondhead, UNI FORM’s creative director, supported the vision of the showcase.
Radloff explained:
“The collection speaks to emotional tailoring, encompassing the toll it takes to create with intention in our world. It may appear effortless from the outside, but we want to show the care and investment required to bring each garment to its finished form.”
Act III: Awakening – MAXHOSA AFRICA’s Cultural Renaissance
For the final act, MAXHOSA AFRICA by Laduma Ngxokolo presented SS25/26 collection, IZIPHO ZABADALA (A Gift to the Ancestors), marking their first South African show of the year. The collection reimagined vivid Xhosa prints through bold knitwear and intricate beadwork, blending heritage with contemporary fashion.
Ngxokolo said:
“I imagine our ancestors wearing these clothes. We’ve evolved what they wore into our culture today, and they will be proud of how we interpret it for the future and showcase it to the world.”
Culinary Artistry Complementing Fashion
Guests enjoyed an elevated edition of Mount Nelson’s Afternoon Tea, curated by Executive Sous-Chef Vicky Gurovich and Sous Chef Matthew Paulsen, with confections designed to echo each act’s theme, creating a fusion of culinary artistry and fashion storytelling.
Mount Nelson: A Cultural and Creative Hub
Patrick Fisher, General Manager of Mount Nelson, said:
“We are proud to continue to evolve the hotel’s 126-year legacy as a home for culture, artistry, and Pan-African pride. Through initiatives like CONFECTIONS x COLLECTIONS, we bring together the continent’s most visionary designers, creatives, and storytellers to celebrate African design in our historic grounds.”
The hotel recently earned Two Michelin Keys, ranked 2nd in the Condé Nast Traveller (UK) Readers’ Choice Awards 2025 – Africa: Eastern & Southern, and continues to be a leader in providing first-class cultural experiences.
With the opening of the highly anticipated THEBE MAGUGU SUITE in 2026, Mount Nelson continues to nurture meaningful creative partnerships, champion African design, and tell the stories behind every collection. As CxC grows, the hotel strengthens its role as Cape Town’s joyful heart for tradition, contemporary craft, and African fashion excellence.
