SAFW TENTWENTYTWENTY TRANS-SEASONAL COLLECTIONS | RESEARCH UNIT | EKTA | HELON MELON

Research Unit: Research Unit is a travel and lifestyle brand based in Cape Town. Founded by husband-and-wife team Chad and Erin-Lee Petersen, the sustainably produced range uses the finest materials available on the continent. This includes cotton canvas, basketweave, French linens, hand-woven wool tapestries as well as natural, vegetable-tanned leather from an old family-run tannery in South Africa's rural Kwa-Zulu Natal Province. The brand's sustainability ethos permeates all aspects of its business including the people it employs and the community it supports. Many of their highly skilled artisans originally come from disadvantaged communities and benefit from ongoing training and up-skilling. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/researchunit/ Website: https://www.researchunitstudio.com EKTA: EKTA meaning Unity in Sanskrit is a ladieswear label that fuses traditional crafting concepts with contemporary fashion. Drawing on her love of colour as well as her multifaceted Indian heritage that combines global and local experiences within a South African context, Ekta Kalan, also designs her own fabric that has created a unique style marked by a dominance of bold coloration and modernity. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ekta_official/ Website: https://www.ekta.co.za Helon Melon: Under the direction of founder Helen Gibbs, Helon Melon is a design and production studio based in Woodstock, Cape Town. The brand focuses on the development of a holistically curated lifesty