Gert-Johan Coetzee - Spring/Summer 2021

I wanted to bring across my roots from the farm, so I got inspired by the cow print. On the farm growing up, I was surrounded by Ngunis and different types of animals. Just really researching and understanding the meaning of the cow and it how important it has been in South African culture. It was one of the first symbols of wealth and that just really invoked these beautiful avant-garde ideas that I had for the collection.

My new 2021 collection represents the armour that we have to build up during our lifetime in order to protect ourselves from harsh external environment. During this process we do not only lose ourselves, but also desensitize from the world around us – we forget what is important to us and the planet.

The cow has been significant to South Africans throughout history. In certain cultures the cow is seen as a bridge between the spiritual and the physical.

In this collection you will see the juxtaposition between the soft flowing cow print fabrics which represent freedom of our true selves, and a heavily constructed tulle which represents the armour around us, which we need to shed to remember who we are and what we stand for. Light blue brings forward calmness, tranquility and peace which we all as the human race strive for.