Chulaap Suwannapha is doing away with borders this season as he takes inspiration from across Africa. In typical Chulaap style, a riot of cross cultural prints cover his SS20 pieces but it’s not just geographical boundaries that the well-loved Cape Town-based designer is blurring but gender ones too, as his male models appear with face tattoos reminiscent of those found on Amazigh women.

In addition to looking northward, Suwannapha has searched close to home in the Sotho culture of Lesotho and South Africa, with the Sotho people’s ingenious layering techniques and association with horseback riding both a direct reference point. “Think Wild Wild West - Africa edition. There is a distinct cowboy reference, but it's more complex than the sheriff hat,” Suwannapha says. “There is a hint of boho with the combination of marbled and undulating prints, crochet, tassels, and vintage silk organza speaking to a chic opulence and being at one with nature.”

A love letter to the Thailand-born designer’s adoptive continent, the silhouettes are as strong and sophisticated as ever, presented in his signature bright shades as he makes use of crisp cottons and sumptuous knits. Shot in Lesothos, the location was also key to communicating his vision. “The barren dusty streets could be the scene of a cowboy face-off, but instead reveal intimate glimpses of people’s internal lives,” he says. “The haze of smoke and dust provide a neutral palette against which the colours of the collection pop.”

Read our 2018 interview with Chulaap Suwannapha here