Described with a core value to love, live and respect culture, we chat to Siyavuya Roqoza after his first showcase at SA Fashion Week AW19 to find out about Roq Men Africa.
Take us through your thinking process for your collection?
The thought process of this collection came about when I was doing my third year in fashion design [at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology]. I wrote a proposal for my Btech research. I saw a gap in the market where culture wasn’t fully explored in the retail space. If it was, it was either too literal that the current generation cannot identify themselves with, or it was completely taken out of context that it ends up being a parodic or stereotypical interpretation of culture, instead of being meaningful to the targeted market or the culture.
I wanted to create a cultural range that will cater to a younger generation, yet remain respectful and meaningful to the culture. Another notion discussed, in the proposal, was that fashion has becoming too Western, that our culture is slowly fading away. The aim of the range is to remind people, especially the young generation that we still have an identity too and we should embrace it. The only way I could do that was to put it in a language the youth can understand, which is to give a contemporary message.
Who did you have in mind when creating this collection?
My late grandmother. She was a deeply spiritual and cultural woman. She inspired and still inspires me in many ways possible. She has always sparked my creativity.
There are accents from the Xhosa culture, how did you incorporate heritage symbols to fit the current market and why was this important?
The aim, with the AW19 collection, was not to portray a literal image of the Xhosa culture as with the SS19 collection. I wanted to make it contemporary so the younger market can identify with it, also at the same time, not taking meaning away from the culture itself.
This was your first showcase at SAFW, how was the whole process?
It was such a surreal experience, I still can’t believe that I showcased at SA Fashion Week. It was an exciting experience and process from concept to the actual product. Also having had a similar experience through the Edcon Design Innovation Challenge made it slightly easier to handle the pressure of what happens backstage and on the runway.
What story are you wanting the customers to receive from your latest collection?
I want the customers to create their own stories, be inspired and respect culture. Let preserve our African identity.
