Thebe Magugu
Johannesburg
With Fabrique since 2023
About
LVMH Prize winner, Woolmark finalist. Collaborations: Dior, AZ Factory, Valentino, Adidas. Featured in Vogue, ELLE, GQ. Met Museum acquisition. Praised by South African President.
Thebe Magugu, born in the 1990s in Kimberley, South Africa, studied fashion design, photography, and media at LISOF in London. After graduating with the best portfolio, he founded his eponymous brand THEBE MAGUGU in 2016, just two years after graduation. His designs blend contemporary African creativity with elements like sorority badges, reflecting his roots in Ipopeng, a suburb whose name means "beautify yourself."
In 2019, at just 26, Magugu won the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers, beating 1,700 competitors. This victory, a first for an African designer, caught the attention of Elle, Vogue, GQ, and the British Fashion Council. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa lauded Magugu's work, stating it "inspires with its subject consciousness, setting him apart from his contemporaries." Following this, Magugu debuted his Fall/Winter 2020 collection at Paris Fashion Week. In 2021, his "Girl Seeks Girl" piece was acquired by New York's Metropolitan Museum, and his fingerprint-inspired Merino wool knit dress made it to the International Woolmark Prize finals.
2022 marked a year of collaborations for Magugu, working with Dior, AZ Factory, Valentino, and Adidas. His capsule collection with Dior, co-created with Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri, reinterpreted the iconic "New Look" originally introduced by Christian Dior in 1947. All proceeds went to the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project. In his collaboration with Fabrique, Magugu uses natural fabrics and vibrant colors, he creates festive, energetic pieces that blend Asian and African aesthetics. The collection aims to showcase adventurous, ambitious women with exceptional taste, reflecting a truly global perspective.
