Tie-dye, animal print and feminine lines- this season’s latest trends

“Looking good in tie-dye, athleisure, feminine lines and a soupcon of animal print this autumn.” So says online retailer Kalea Collective’s Liza Andrew. The independent online retailer opened weeks before lockdown last year and has started seeing substantial growth in its business. While a bricks and mortar showroom was opened, Andrew says that it has become more of a studio for product pictures and an order processing warehouse.

“In a sense the pandemic has been very good to us,” says Andrew. This, despite challenges in securing stock and delivery of sales during the first few weeks of Level 5. “What started out as a passion project quickly developed into a booming e-commerce fashion enterprise.” Andrew says that creating bespoke looks that could comfortably light up a runway or a sidewalk has always been a dream of hers. “E-commerce has made it possible to do this, with lower startup costs, overheads and now, publics preferring to shop from home, it spells out the future.”

Andrew is one of a growing number of entrepreneurs who took the leap into digital. “What’s most important in the online rag trade,” she says, “is customer service. Fashion is such a personal and fit-dependent item, fickle if you must, and it is with returns and getting the communication flow between customer and store absolutely right.” However, she says, that Kalea Collective’s garments have been designed with the South African woman’s shape in mind. “Tighter garments are highly dependent on design for better form and function,” and, she adds, that “we all have different shapes and sizes. The secret is in developing a range that accommodates for that.”

It is all about looking good and feeling confident within yourself, believes Andrew. The Kalea Collective swimwear range, activewear and really “every-wear for any occasion.” And being in style this season means showing some leg. “High-slits remain really fashionable with a lot of cheeky leg visible,” she says. “Whether it is a longer skirt, dress or a short little black number. More so this season than the usual suspects of cleavage or butt.” Sheer continues to make an appearance with puffy sleeves here to stay for the foreseeable future. “Patchwork is also making a runway comeback, but it may be a while before we see it in store locally.”

Model Keasha Werner in Kalea-Collective’s top selling, somewhat racy red dress 

It may be getting a bit colder but, at the coast the sun is always shining. “Swimwear, although seasonal, is somewhat evergreen too. Solid colours, one pieces, and Brazilian bottoms have become this year’s classical look. Cuts with an emphasis on all the right places, for normal women, not over the top Hollywood starlet show off styles,” she adds. After all, we do not have the benefit of retouching selfies while in living colour, in real life, waterside.

“We really should start looking at wardrobe planning on a year-by-year basis,” Andrew muses. “It has become prohibitively expensive to try and keep up with seasonal fashion when, in fact, it is really easy to mix and match what’s already in your wardrobe with what’s hot in clobber right now.” She says that taking an annual view of fashion and investing in classics, pairing it with garments that are functional and fashionable, and that could be worn throughout the year. “Apart from the really cold days, our winters are very mild. This affords us the opportunity to plan, save and still look incredible.”