Backstage with Floyd Avenue Apparel

A model walks the runway at SA Fashion Week autumn/winter 2025 in an all-red ensemble by Floyd Avenue Apparel. (Eunice Driver Photography)

People bustled about, some of them almost running between either end of the enormous screen that separated the calm runway from the madness behind it. Amid the crowd of models, dressers and crew, a team of six were frantically pulling garments from two plastic crates. The founder of Floyd Avenue Apparel, Floyd Manotoana, was quickly but decisively shoving different items into the waiting hands of the models set to walk the show.

Flashes of dark blue, orange and khaki green flickered as the models changed, pulling long legs and muscular arms into impeccably tailored dark-wash denims, a signature of the brand. One model donned an oversized denim poncho, and another waited while a dresser struggled with the zip of a faux-leather snakeskin-print coat.

As the models lined up behind the screen, still tying shoes or hopping into trousers, Floyd moved between them, shoving beanies, caps and fisherman bucket hats onto their heads. When the show began, he leant casually against the screen, as if there had never been any rush at all.

Still breathing fast after the show had ended, a toothy grin appeared on Floyd’s face as he told me about the collection, created for the Isuzu x SA Fashion Week Luxury Collection show, the second half of the contest which saw three designers create adventure-gear collections in collaboration with the car brand.

Having last shown at Fashion Week in May 2021, he noted how difficult it was to get back into a more creative headspace. “It’s the way my mind has been working now. Everything we did was much more production-based. We don’t make clothes to just keep and archive in our studio. We make them [for] the people. So it was quite a change in direction.”

Nevertheless, the direction Floyd eventually decided on was guided by the designer’s strong sense of his audience. Experimenting with textiles and characters this season, he laughed, referencing the deep scarlet faux-fur jacket. “I was nervous about it. I kept on asking the guys, ‘What do you think about this?’ Everybody was like, ‘We don’t know’,” he explained. “But it was like a very street Frank Lucas,” he said, referring to the infamous US drug lord. “Like, you’re classy, but you’re also a little bit ... raggedy, and when you come through, you look like the problem.”

His energy, initially obscured in previous online communication, shone through in person. The Sowetan-born designer was friendly, confident and the epitome of the type of people he aims to dress. “I think our target market is much more self-made men, you know? People who have determined who they are and how they respond to the world. You need to be in charge of yourself.”

Having grown up in a Johannesburg township and now being in charge of himself and the five young men in his team, the collection was a clear-cut illustration of his culturally diverse, multifaceted approach to design. The clean, tailored lines of his Yohji Yamamoto-esque kimono set were deliberately interwoven with the slouchy cargo pants and fisherman beanies reminiscent of the streets of Soweto.

A model walks the runway at SA Fashion Week autumn/winter 2025 in Floyd Avenue Apparel's signature dark-wash denim. (Eunice Driver Photography)

A model walks the runway at SA Fashion Week autumn/winter 2025 in a full-denim look by Floyd Avenue Apparel. (Eunice Driver Photography)

The designer was animated as he spoke, his hands fluttering and his eyes bright with excitement, his energy just as chaotic and adrenaline-fuelled as the shows happening around us. Minutes later, the three designers were herded together, awaiting the announcement of the winner of the Isuzu VentureGear Collection contest. His team gathered at one of the side entrances to the runway. A silence fell over the room as everyone waited, their hearts racing.

Then the announcement came: "Floyd Manotoana of Floyd Avenue Apparel!" The joy that seemed to flood the room was accompanied by thunderous applause. His team, shouting and clapping, were smiling ear to ear as he beckoned them onto the stage to share in the win.

Floyd Manotoano and his models celebrate at SA Fashion Week autumn/winter 2025 after having been announced best designer in the Isuzu x SA Fashion Week Luxury Collection collaboration. (Henry Marsh of Marsh Media)

Later, when I approached the group, whose voices were almost hoarse from celebratory singing, their pride and excitement were palpable. After very little sleep and a collective last push over the past few days, they huddled around me, their hands clasping each other’s shoulders. “[I feel] proud, blessed and grateful [to have been part of this collection],” the team supervisor said.

“I’m glad that all my intern boys, straight out of the ghettos of Soweto, have been with Floyd Avenue! Whoever knew we could do this?” he said, his voice rising in triumph.

As the applause echoed through the room and the team’s chants filled the space, it became clear this win wasn’t just for Floyd or his team — it represented a shift in African fashion, in terms of which local talent wasn’t just making its mark, but rather reshaping the global clothing industry narrative.

Micro elements — five of the best

Denim reigned supreme at the South African Fashion Week autumn/winter 2025 collection, with multiple designers creating a variety of full-denim looks as part of their collections. We picked five of the best styles from this season.