Lalesso was formed by co-designers Olivia Kennaway and Alice Heusser after a holiday to Lamu Island off the north coast of Kenya. Having studied fashion design together in Cape Town, the pair were impelled to harness the magical beauty of the East African ‘khanga’, also known as ‘lesso’ to create vibrant and care-free summer fashion. Lalesso is an exclusively summer clothing and lifestyle brand born of and which uses unique Khanga inspired prints, designed in-house, as a trademark to all of their designs.

Stocked in stores in more than 18 countries, as well as being regularly featured in fashion magazines globally and adorned by style icons such as Sienna Miller, Kate Moss, Kimora Lee Simmons and singer Estelle, Lalesso continues to spread its African roots to the fashion world. Winners of the 2009 EFF (British Ethical Fashion Forum) Innovation Award and; 2010 GLAMOUR magazine Women of the Year Award.

@TankiEm: You are best known for prints and bright colours, what colours do you see for this coming season from a designers perspective?

@Lalesso_ :"The celebration of colour will continue and moves away from colour blocking and into an assortment of colourful clashing prints."

@TankiEm: With your MBFWCT preparation, what has been the challenges the brand has faced during this time?

@Lalesso_ :"Trying to encapsulate external factors into the show in order to express our vision of the collection clearly to the audience."

@TankiEm: Having a history with fashion weeks locally, do you see a change in this year's fashion week and can you detail that change? has evolved successfully/grown the way you'd like it to?

@Lalesso_ : "Yes there is defiantly a change, having Mercedes Benz on board has defiantly upped the stakes! We are also showing in a single slot this year so the pressure is on to impress!"

@TankiEm: Some shows create dramatics, and a story with their showcase, what is your story this season for MBFWCT ?

@Lalesso_ : "We have created a mystical Lalesso character, a princess who lives in the earth, in the ocean and in the rocks. She is powerful, beautiful and elegant. She is a queen of lands far far away."

@TankiEm: The brand has been experiencing growth internationally, How is this growth reflecting with regards to South African sales?

@Lalesso_ :"As our price points are mid to high they seem slightly too steep for most consumers. We do however got a lot of online sales from South Africa."

@TankiEm: Bloggers vs print media, who gets the front row invite and why?

@Lalesso_ " mmmmm, tough one! bloggers are definitely on the up! We have a good mix of bloggers and media in our front row."

@TankiEm: Where can we show for Lalesso?

@Lalesso_ : "You can get Lalesso at Merchants on Long, The One and Only Hotel and at www.lalesso.com"

So if you are as fashion silly as I am, you must catch the Lalesso showcase at MBFWCT on the 28th of July 2012.

Tickets- www.webtickets.co.za

by Tanki EM

@TankiEm