LVMH Prize Finalist Lukhanyo Mdingi Captures a Spirit of Timeless Eleg

As the South African designer’s technical talent and penchant for polished simplicity ushers him and his eponymous label onto the world stage, we take a look at his journey from small town kid to industry golden boy.

By Lindsay Samson

May 19, 2021

Launched in 2013, the LVMH Prize is awarded annually to the global fashion industry’s most promising young design talent. With past winners including Grace Wales Bonner, Jacquemus, Hood By Air, Marine Serre, and current industry darling, South Africa’s Thebe Magugu, 2021’s winner will receive a €300 000 prize and a year of mentorship from designers and executives within LVMH, while the first runner-up will take home the Karl Lagerfeld Special Prize, receiving €150 000.

Widely considered to be one of the most prestigious honors conferred to emerging designers, South African designer Lukhanyo Mdingi is the sole face from the continent on a roster of nine finalists this year, one that includes London-based menswear designer Bianca Saunders and American designer Christopher John Rogers.

Lukhanyo Mdingi. Photo via CFDA

A striking marriage of technical finesse and accessible elegance, Mdingi’s design sensibilities redefine standard notions of luxury with a distinctive seasonless wearability. Featuring clothes that prioritize integrity and intention, his is at once an understated and bold aesthetic that exudes power. In his collections, sumptuous fabrics are fashioned into cozy winter coats and fitted dresses, while versatile styles and steadfast shapes including basic knitwear, tailored trousers, and sharp suit jackets are rendered in strong neutral tones, evoking a modern sensibility. “I love classic, traditional brands. I want to be a traditionalist,” Mdingi says. When I look at ready-to-wear clothes, it’s all about functionality and wearability. I really love form. I love structure and texture and feel….ready-to-wear pieces with special fabrication are my first love.”

Originally from the small town of East London, Mdingi moved to Cape Town to study fashion design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. He first made his mark on the local industry scene as a finalist in the Elle Rising Star Design Awards, soon after which he was selected to participate in Design Indaba’s prestigious Emerging Creatives platform.

Meticulous craftsmanship is the foundation upon which the Lukhanyo Mdingi brand is built. Founded in 2015, the brand has showcased an intelligent design philosophy since its inception, emphasizing slow artisanal processes, premium raw materials, and timeless silhouettes. Over the years Mdingi has focused on growing his business and name into an industry force, all while honing the sophistication that has brought him global attention and acclaim: he has been lauded by international publications including Vogue Italia, I.D., and GQ South Africa, and in 2019, made his debut at New York Fashion Week with a collection that was a reflection of his expert artisanship and inclination toward the avant-garde.

Meticulous craftsmanship is the foundation upon which the Lukhanyo Mdingi brand is built. Founded in 2015, the brand has showcased an intelligent design philosophy since its inception, prioritizing slow artisanal processes, premium raw materials, and timeless silhouettes. Over the years Mdingi has focused on growing his business and name into an industry force, all while honing the sophistication that has brought him global attention and acclaim: he’s has been lauded by international publications including Vogue Italia, I.D., and GQ South Africa, and in 2019, made his debut at New York Fashion Week with a collection that was a reflection of his expert craftsmanship and inclination toward the avant-garde.

The FW’19 collection he sent down the NYFW runway embraced rich and textured fabrics like angora kid mohair and merino wool as its foundation. Long coats, bomber jackets, and column dresses in shades of tobacco and ivory were paired with soft-to-the-touch knitwear and woolen skull caps. “It’s the pure spirit of ease and sensuality,” Mdingi told the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) that year. “The reality [is that] we’re living in a space where everything is consumed incredibly fast. The aim [is] for us to bring a sense of sensuality and stories that are simply beautiful. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Ahead of the announcement of his LVMH nomination, the designer sought to tell one of these “simply beautiful stories” through one of his most personal collections to date. His FW’21 knitwear-led collection is a moving tribute to his friend, late South African designer Nicholas Coutts, with whom he collaborated on the Mdingi/Coutts collection in 2016 and traveled to Pitti Uomo in Florence to exhibit at the Generation Africa show. First revealed in February 2021, the “premise of this body of work stems from the pure spirit of love,” stated Mdingi, its highly textured pieces effectively echoing the vivid color and artisanal weaving practice that became the core of Coutts’ work. Featuring jersey dresses fringed in wool sharply tailored suits, and oversized woven shawls, the poignant range of garments serves as a meaningful creative homage to an enduring friendship.

Years ago... I really started to make my decisions based [on] the answer to the question, ‘Why are you doing this?’ Not just in my business or in my design but within me. I really wanted to live in a way that mirrored a sense of goodness, respect, integrity and honesty.

Perennial Collection FW‘19. Photo: Courtesy of Lukhanyo Mdingi

Relic Collection SS‘20. Photo: Courtesy of Lukhanyo Mdingi

Coutts Collection FW‘21. Photo: Courtesy of Lukhanyo Mdingi

Equally visually striking as Mdingi’s collections are the seasonal lookbooks he puts out which, according to the designer, are always a highly collaborative effort. Often featuring the contributions of the same rotating crop of creatives including photographer Travys Owen, art director Gabrielle Kannemeyer, makeup artist Amori Birch, and others, these distinct voices have helped shape and enhance the visual language of the brand. “What we have as a team is extremely rare. I can’t think of another label in South Africa that operates the way we do,” he told The Fader in 2015.

Despite their unmistakable embodiment of simplicity, there’s a compelling air of rebellion running through each of Mdingi’s pieces. While consistency in signature styles, silhouettes, and design language has amassed his brand a dedicated fanbase, it’s the fluidity, unexpected architectural nature of shape, and playful spin on tried-and-true classics that keep things fresh: asymmetrical cuts, unconventional collar shapes, and experimental draping--these are some of the ways in which Mdingi’s brand infuses sartorial standards with novelty.

His brand ethos indicates a refusal to be pigeonholed and a rejection of the stagnant, repetitive patterns creatives may fall prey to: slow, sophisticated luxury is Mdingi’s thing and as his thoughtful collections show, there are myriad ways through which to express it, all of which, for him, connect back to the idea of integrity. “I want to be thinking about intention and how that connects honestly to my outcome,” he told The Mail & Guardian. “Years ago... I really started to make my decisions based [on] the answer to the question, ‘Why are you doing this?’ Not just in my business or in my design but within me. I really wanted to live in a way that mirrored a sense of goodness, respect, integrity and honesty.”

The final and the announcement of the LVMH Prize winners will be in September 2021 at the Louis Vuitton Foundation.

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LVMH PRIZE FINALIST LUKHANYO MDINGI CAPTURES A SPIRIT OF TIMELESS ELEGANCE

By Lindsay Samson

Years ago... I really started to make my decisions based [on] the answer to the question, ‘Why are you doing this?’ Not just in my business or in my design but within me. I really wanted to live in a way that mirrored a sense of goodness, respect, integrity and honesty.