SAFW SS21 DIGITAL COLLECTIONS | LARA KLAWIKOWSKI

Based in Cape Town, Lara Klawikowski is a South African fashion designer and illustrator of Polish and Russian heritage. She launched her eponymous label, in 2010, with a focus on avant-garde design, after graduating from CTCFD. During her studies, she won the prestigious Durban July Young Designer Award, was a top 5 graduate at the CTFC Graduate Shows, runner-up in the FAD Awards, and completed an introductory course in shoe making and shoe design. She showcased her first ready-to-wear collection, in 2013, and was a semi-finalist in the SAFW Renault New Talent competition. Designing wearable art – bespoke womenswear handcrafted at her studio – her designs are intriguingly tactile and artisanal, with a distinctive artistry, femininity, edge, and other-worldly beauty. Employing unpredictable pattern-cutting and garment construction, organic draping and proportions, her love for unusual detail, texture and innovative use of fabric has led to constant experimentation with recycled, upcycled and re-fabricated materials. Lara won the Innovative Design and Materials Award, as well as the coveted Changemaker Award at the TWYG x Country Road Sustainable Fashion Awards 2020. Her bespoke creations can be ordered from her studio and her ready-to-wear designs are available at boutiques in Cape Town. Website: http://www.laraklawikowski.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lara__klawikowski/