21 April 2023 saw the House of Rubicon bring to life an authentic celebration of heritage with the showcasing of their latest collection at South Africa Fashion Week.
Commemorating twenty-one years as a style and culture institution in South Africa’s fashion landscape, Rubicon’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection marries the eastern and western influences with African elegance, while paying homage to the reimagined Myth of Origin story about the lost kingdom of Mapungubwe.
Founder and Creative Director, Hangwani Nengovhela draws inspiration from the landscapes and artifacts recovered at the world heritage site. The kingdom’s origins, passed through oral history, tell a tale of three brothers journeying through the region. One brother was inspired to stop and sleep over while the other two traveled on. He awoke the next morning to the breathtaking sight of Mapungubwe’s landscape with it’s beautiful salt pans. This brother went on to establish the kingdom that would later be known as both an economic and cultural trading hub inviting travelers from throughout the continent as well as overseas, including Europe and Asia to make the journey to trade in gold, pottery, beading, and other items that were highly coveted in the great iron age.