Nearly a decade after her runway debut, award-winning South African designer Fikile Sokhulu is moving into retail with a new collection for Pick n Pay Clothing.
Summer Neiture launches at selected Pick n Pay Clothing stores nationwide and on Pick n Pay asap! as part of the retailer’s Futurewear initiative, which supports emerging South African designers in developing commercially viable collections.
From sketches to the runway
Sokhulu grew up on Durban’s South Coast and began sketching fashion designs while at high school.
She made her professional debut in 2018 after being selected for the SAFW New Talent Search. Since then, she has showcased in Milan through Fashion Bridges, featured on platforms including Vogue, and dressed artists such as Simphiwe Dana and Holly Rey.
From runway to retail
Summer Neiture brings Sokhulu’s design aesthetic to a wider, everyday audience.
She describes the collection in three words: “Feminine, unique, and craftsmanship.”
Designer Gavin Rajah mentored Sokhulu through Futurewear, helping her adapt her existing design language for retail.
“Fikile came into this programme with a design language that is already fully her own: feminine, considered, and full of craftsmanship,” says Rajah. “My role has simply been to help her translate that voice into a collection that speaks to a much broader audience, without losing what makes her work distinctly hers.”
Futurewear is in its sixth year and has grown from two designers to a platform that attracts hundreds of applications annually.
Inspired by nature
Summer Neiture is a play on the word “nature”. The collection draws on sunlight, open skies and natural landscapes, with landscape-inspired prints, feminine silhouettes and detailed finishes.
Sokhulu says the retail process has also been a learning experience.
“I have highly anticipated working with Pick n Pay for a while. This experience is completely different and new to me. I've learnt so much during the mentoring programme, being guided through retail-oriented design, and having a strong team made it an enriching experience.”
She says she is looking forward to seeing the collection in stores.
“I don't feel I have obtained an achievement or a milestone; I think I am hopeful for what I am to achieve in the future,” she says.
Find Capetowner on TikTok @capetowner or Instagram @capetowner94