Mercedes-Benz has established itself as an experienced partner of major international fashion platforms and is now actively involved in the fashion world of South Africa. As title sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Joburg, the brand joins the fashion capitals of the world, such as Berlin, New York, Paris, Milan and London.
A host of top South African designers, coupled with emerging young talent, will take to the runway, showcasing their latest designs to eagerly awaiting fashionistas, at the trendy and stunning Roof Top at Hyde Park Centre, Rosebank. The programme of events runs from Thursday 8 March to Saturday 10 March and is jam-packed with more than 25 designers taking to the runway, showcasing around 20 shows.
Whether in fashion, architecture or cars, Mercedes-Benz has been observing more and more areas of life that offer a new definition of what quality of life means. People no longer want to constantly keep up with new trends, owning the latest and most glittering product today and disposing of it tomorrow. Instead, the hunt for authentic, one-off pieces – preferably signed by hand – is intensifying. Seals of quality are increasingly becoming important.
People want to know where the product comes from, who supplied it, and under what conditions it was made. This trend is particularly apparent in the fashion industry. Items of clothing by many a designer can be traced back online to the cotton field, or wool which is shown together with the sheep from which it comes. The demand is for products which are eco-friendly, and are also of timeless beauty and of a high quality.
“Our vehicles correspond exactly to what people are now looking for. Mercedes-Benz is regarded worldwide as a symbol of style and elegance and safety. Mercedes-Benz has – thanks to trend research – also wasted no time in developing a sustainability strategy featuring various drive concepts,” says Nobuzwe Mangcu, Divisional Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mercedes-Benz South Africa.
“For the new era, this provides an ideal platform for developing vehicles which match the idea of quality of life expressed in restrained beauty. The challenge is to redefine luxury as a lifestyle factor in a world which is turning ‘green’ – ‘green luxury”, adds Mangcu.
“For Mercedes-Benz, this means even more eco-friendliness, even better workmanship, higher levels of safety and greater timeless elegance. With its eco start-stop function and its various BlueEFFICIENCY measures, the new-generation C-Class is up to 20% more economical than its predecessor,” continues Mangcu.
“We are especially proud of our Mercedes-Benz C-Class range as it is manufactured at our hi-tech plant in East London, and has won numerous awards and accolades for its world-class quality, design and innovative engineering. Mercedes-Benz is delighted to have the opportunity of sharing the runway with such a great selection of talented designers, who are taking local fashion to higher levels. With the spotlight on South Africa at all times, we can stand proud with the high quality and fresh designs of these fashion designers,” says Mangcu.
The star of the show is undoubtedly the new-generation C-Class as it is positioned elegantly on display. The design language of Mercedes-Benz conveys clear messages – cool confidence and power. The C-Class has aesthetic appeal from smoothly moulded surfaces combined with relatively sharp lines and contours. Distinct lines and simplicity of form are characteristic of Mercedes-Benz design elements.
“Commencing with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Joburg, we are confident that the success of this positive development will continue through to a number of events at our local dealerships and on to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town in July, followed by Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Africa in October 2012,” concludes Mangcu.
Mercedes-Benz is currently involved in fashion events in 30 countries on all five continents. Beginning with the title sponsoring of Mercedes Australian Fashion Week in Sydney and Melbourne in 1996 and later with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York in 2001, Mercedes-Benz has continuously strengthened its commitment to the industry.
