Craig Jacobs’ transeasonal 2026/27 collection brings the possibilities of reworked fashion to the South African Fashion Week runway.
What happens to clothing when it can no longer be sold, or when there is simply too much of it? With THE NEW EARTH, presented at South African Fashion Week at Hyde Park Corner Shopping Centre, designer Craig Jacobs explored how pre-owned, surplus, and discarded garments can become the starting point for something new.
The latest transeasonal collection from Fundudzi by Craig Jacobs considers the role design can play in responding to the growing challenge of excess clothing.
“Rather than treating existing garments as the end of their useful life, we worked through a process of dismantling and reconstructing what others, mostly in the West, discard to explore new possibilities in materials that might otherwise be overlooked,” said Jacobs, who founded Fundudzi in 2004 with a commitment to tell African stories through cloth in an ecologically sensitive way.
Inspired by Southern Africa’s geological landscapes, the collection draws on the muted tones of earth, stone, and weathered terrain. Tailoring, denim, knitwear, and sheer layers move between everyday dressing and more expressive silhouettes, with each garment offering a different perspective on reusing what already exists.
THE NEW EARTH also questions a fashion system driven by constant production and consumption. From fast fashion to luxury, clothing is caught in a cycle that often leaves little room for longevity. While reworking garments is not a complete solution to textile waste, the collection demonstrates how creativity can contribute to a broader conversation about value, resourcefulness, and the future of fashion.
Formative parts of the collection were produced at Ananse Studios Johannesburg, located in Rosebank’s Design District. The collection was made possible through a generous donation from Mr Alan Ford, television producer, and patron of the creative industries. Luxity, the collection’s Official Accessory Partner, provided the footwear.
For Jacobs, sustainability is as much about changing how we think as it is about changing how we make. THE NEW EARTH is rooted in the belief that creativity does not always require new materials. Sometimes, it simply requires us to look at what we already have differently.
Images By – Eunice Driver Photography.
