Sanlam South African Fashion Week

 

April 2009

 

March 2008

Designer: Amanda Laird Cherry              
Label: Amanda Laird Cherry
Est. Date: 1996
Design Training: Durban University of Technology

Brief Biography:
After completing her studies, Amanda worked at a boutique before opening her own business. A year later she was approached by Instinct Surfwear International to run their design studio and after eight years, she launched her own label. In addition to being part owner of The Space stores, she designs for Big Blue under the Cubaverra label.

Summer 2009/10
This collection has come out of Amanda’s current situation of “floating above two continents” feeling displaced and convoluted, searching for some form of grounding. Her base inspiration comes from her native KwaZulu-Natal and the different ways in which people wrap fabric around their bodies.
The departure point was an image from 1975 of a young married woman from Msinga who draped fabric around her shoulders in the most beautiful way and continued through references of men and woman attending important occasions over the years such as rites of passage ceremonies, weddings, or dancing competitions, where they dress up and wear extraordinary beaded jewellery. It is the fabric wrapping and draping that forms part of their ensembles that particularly informed this collection.   
“Overall there is a sense of surrealism that alludes to the etherealness of life but then embraces reality and includes elements from the earth such as seed beads and succulents. The shapes are a mixture of body fitting garments and folded details reflecting our need to belong despite our inclination to complicate matters,” she explains.

Key Words:
Wrapping
Folding
Rites of passage

Retail:
The Space
India Jane
Soho
Big Blue