Some designers create cultural movements, South Africa’s Thebe Magugu emphatically belongs to the latter category. At just 31, the Kimberley-born, Johannesburg-based creative director has already etched his name into the history books. In 2019, he became the first African designer to win the prestigious LVMH Prize, a watershed moment. But for Magugu, international acclaim was not an invitation to leave home but rather, a platform to amplify it.
His brand is built on being “Afro-encyclopaedic,” using fashion to archive South Africa’s overlooked histories. Each collection is a syllabus of bold prints and retro silhouettes exploring identity, while a deep emotional warmth reflects his upbringing in the Northern Cape.
Beyond the runway, Magugu is building a physical legacy. In 2024, he opened Magugu House in Johannesburg, a concept store and cultural institute that TIME named one of the “World’s Greatest Places”. He unveils a new debut hospitality project with creative spaces in Cape Town, in collaboration with Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, Cape Town. There’s the two-storey Thebe Magugu Suite: an Afro-modernist sanctuary blending English grandeur with African craftsmanship; and the adjoining Magugu House Cape Town: a public concept store and cultural gallery. We caught up with the designer to discuss roots, reinvention, and the art of South African storytelling.
How would you describe quintessential South African style?
It’s layered and intuitive, which I think symbolises who we are as a people. We have such a varied history, peppered with moments of beauty and pain, and that has certainly informed how we dress. It’s not about perfection, it’s about storytelling; a type of curation speaking to the individual, not about the clothes themselves.
What specific emotion or do you hope your suite at Mount Nelson imposes on people when they walk in?
I want it to feel like a quiet exhale, especially as you enter the suite – and how we ensured this is by using textured sage green walls, warm wooden accents, and sensual artworks. I find that the times we are in are so complicated and complex, I wanted guests to feel like all that bag drops at the door.
What about Cape Town inspires you?
Cape Town is a city of contrasts that somehow coexist effortlessly, which is actually a pillar of my brand; newness through juxtaposition. You have mountains and oceans meeting one another, stillness and chaos, history and reinvention. I think all this encourages reflection, especially as an artist, but also imagination. These contrasts sharpen my creative instincts.
Your new exhibition at Magugu House Cape Town brings together art and fashion. Tell us more about the space and what connects a photograph, a ceramic piece, and one of your garments
Magugu House was conceived as a cultural home rather than a traditional retail environment. I wanted people to feel like they were entering a living archive of contemporary African creativity. There’s fashion, but also art, conversation, music, film screenings – it’s about community and intellectual exchange. Magugu House Cape Town opened with its inaugural exhibition, By Our Own Hands, which explores the idea of “product as process”.
It features works by Zanele Muholi and Zizipho Poswa (two of my favourite artists) whose practices conceptually echo the ideas explored in my Alchemy II collection, which is also available there. That curatorial alignment was very intentional, showing that all these creative disciplines are connected one way or another.
You created custom teas for the hotel using local herbs. Why is scent such a powerful way to tell a story?
I’ve always been fascinated by scent and how it bypasses logic, going straight to memory and emotion. It’s one of the most immediate ways to create a sense of place. With the teas, I wanted guests to taste and smell something distinctly South African, but also deeply personal. The herbs we used also have medicinal properties, and I love this idea of the suite providing comfort that is physical and spiritual.
If a guest has just 48 hours in Cape Town, where is one spot you’d send them to experience the city’s creative energy?
I would send them to the Zeitz MOCAA and then have them wander through the surrounding area; the harbour houses an intersection of art, fashion and architecture. It’s a location that summates Cape Town’s creative pulse, and a good summary of the artistic cultural landscape.
Favourite local restaurants and bars in Cape Town?
Right now, it’s less about a single restaurant and more about a mood: If I’m looking for thoughtful food, I go to Cafe Sofi by Tasha – who has opened a series of restaurants that have done very well, as there is essentially one in every big city. However, she started Cafe Sofi as a tribute to her mother – it’s a completely chalk white restaurant [including the uniforms] and the only colour is the cobalt blue door and menus.
For easier food I don’t have to think about, I go to Therapy on the same street. Another great restaurant is Kloof Street House – very great service, food and drinks. Whats great about all these restaurants is that they are in the same area. I stay in Gardens, where food, design, and culture naturally overlap.
Local hidden gem in your hometown of Johannesburg?
There are small artist-run studios and spaces in Braamfontein and Troyeville that feel incredibly alive – they’re not always obvious, but that’s where the real energy is. In fact, our old studios was this building called Ellis House which was all of artists working across the creative disciplines, with the likes of artists Zandile Tshabalala, whose work also appears in the Thebe Magugu Suite.
Best neighbourhood in Johannesburg and why?
Parkhurst has a rhythm that I really enjoy because it’s walkable, culturally active, and constantly evolving. It feels like a meeting point for different creative disciplines.
Where do you shop in Johannesburg?
I’m drawn to spaces that feel curated rather than commercial – places like 44 Stanley or independent concept stores where there’s a sense of discovery. With 44 Stanley, its a precinct that is highly curated and offers small pop-ups, fashion boutiques, galleries, vinyl stores, an independent cinema, and great restaurants.
Favourite holiday destination in the African continent?
Singita Boulders. It’s incredibly sensory – the colours, the textures, the architecture. It feels like stepping into a different rhythm entirely.
Most inspiring city you’ve visited recently?
I’ve recently come back from Brazil, which was my first time. I went to both São Paulo and Rio, and I was struck by how much it felt like a “sister country” to South Africa. Starting with the architecture – it’s fascinating how a brutalist building can stand next to a classical building, then next to a modernist building – these contrasts I believe symbolise the diversity and scope of the culture. I am also struck by the inherent kindness and spirit of the people, again, so similar to us in South Africa.
Where do you go for pure escapism? And where do you go for stimulation and creative energy?
Anywhere near water, because I find that the ocean has a way of dissolving everything unnecessary. I had a powerful moment recently in Rio – I woke up at midnight at Copacabana Palace and walked to the beach, which is opposite the hotel. I sat there for an hour and that cleansed me so much.
Travel splurge you’ll never regret?
A beautiful hotel. Space influences how you feel, how you think, how you dream – it’s never just accommodation for me. One can say I have been ruined by Belmond because wherever I go, I expect the highest level of service, design and culture.
What’s always in your carry on?
A notebook as my tutors always instilled this idea in me that you never know when inspiration might strike. I would also have something to read, which is currently George Orwell’s 1984. Fragrance as well, which is always Moonglory by the Harmonist.
Dream vacation, not yet fulfilled?
Tokyo for sure – I get so much inspiration from Japanese culture, so I need to make this a reality this year.
