Gugu Peteni, a 29-year-old designer from Nelson Mandela Bay, has taken the fashion world by storm after winning the Best Young Designer Award at Paris Haute Couture Week in June.
Peteni’s luxury street-wear label, Gugubygugu, was showcased at the prestigious event, earning her a coveted seat at the exclusive fashion table.
The Africa Fashion Up (AFUP) 2024 competition, organised by Share Africa with the backing of French President Emmanuel Macron, aims at supporting emerging African designers and redefine the industry.
Peteni’s win comes with international development support from HEC Paris business school, and luxury fashion line, Balenciaga, as well as retail exposure through Galeries Lafayette, the biggest chain of up-market department stores in Europe.
Peteni’s Gugubygugu Spring-Summer collection, Echoes of Self SS25, integrates South African mohair and Merino wool, reflecting her commitment to sustainability.
“Mohair South Africa really opened the door for me, and sustainability became a crucial part of how I design,” she said. “I love working with mohair; once you touch and feel it, you don’t really want to work with synthetics anymore.”
Peteni’s journey began at NMU’s Fashion and Textile Design School, where she learned machine knitting from renowned designer, Laduma Ngxokolo’s (also from Gqeberha) former teacher, Retha Giliomee.
“I had the same teacher as Laduma; she was wonderful, and she taught me all that I know of how to use knitting machines,” Peteni said.
After graduating with honours Cum Laude, Peteni worked at Mohair SA and launched her own label in 2019.
The Eastern Cape-born designer moved to Pretoria in 2023 to be closer to the fashion industry. She could not get much closer to the cutting edge than showing her collection at Paris Fashion Week, and rubbing shoulders with the style world elite. Peteni also secured her seat at the table at an exclusive gala dinner after the ramp showings, where she mingled with actors, musicians, and industry leaders.
Her compatriots were fellow SA designers, Rich Mnisi, Mohamed Youss from Morocco, and Kadiata Diallo from Senegal and Mauritania.
“Africa Fashion UP is a really great network,” Peteni said, and she came home with business contacts and industry knowledge that would take years to gather. “Imagine, I now know the lady who runs Paris Fashion Week by her first name!”
Peteni’s win sent shockwaves of pride through the local fashion community, with Mohair South Africa expressing their congratulations.
“We are incredibly proud of Gugu and the role she is playing in showcasing mohair internationally, promoting creativity, and elevating African fashion,” said a Mohair SA spokesman. “We’re proud to see mohair enriching the Gugubygugu narrative, and contributing to her well-deserved Best Young Designer Award recognition.”
