South African fashion designer Thebe Magugu built his name through sleek, forward-looking pieces that often intersect with the culture and history of his home country. Since establishing his eponymous fashion label in Johannesburg in 2016, Thebe has gone on to win multiple prestigious awards and collaborate with some of the world's top fashion labels.
Just as his vibrant designs recently turned heads at Paris Fashion Week, Thebe's now out to catch the ears of Spotify listeners with his takeover of Fashion Forward.
Inspired by his autumn/winter 2023 collection, Thebe's playlist features music that dances the line between contemporary and timeless, with songs that apply modern touches to familiar motifs. With the first half of the playlist exploring a transcendental strain of dance music that Thebe calls Afro-Trance, the second half features songs that have been stripped down to two of music's most essential elements: vocals and acoustic instruments.
Storytelling has always been an immovable facet to African culture, Thebe told For the Record. Artists especially have always found the most progressive ways to express our vivid internal landscapes. My playlist features artists who I listened to religiously throughout the development of my new collection, titled Folklorics.'
For the Record recently sat down with Thebe, who spoke about music, his work, and what inspires him.
You've mentioned that this playlist was inspired by your new collection. How did you approach the creation of both? As the name Folklorics suggests, the collection looks at the past through a modern lens, much like the artists in my playlist. They beautifully combine the past and present-while offering slight suggestions for the future-through intelligent, genre-bending, and Afrocentric stories.
What types of music did you grow up listening to? My uncle converted our garage into a tavern when I was a baby and my room was right next to the garage. So the music would play at full volume until about 4 a.m. every day. In many ways, I grew up around music with no choice!
On weekdays, the music would be old-school hits from The Manhattans, The Isley Brothers, and Issac Hayes. Thursday onwards would be house and kwaito music like Dj Cleo, Dj Kent, DJ Sbu. Sunday was ladies night, which featured R&B Legends like Brandy, Tamia, and Aaliyah.
How do you infuse music into your creative process? It's present from the very beginning. I unfortunately can't work in silence, so everything I do is kicked off by music, and it's important to figure out which genre I begin with. If I am dealing with a harrowing subject matter, it helps to listen to artists who are unafraid to really explore dark themes in their work.
What was on your musical mood board for this Paris Fashion Week? Paris Fashion Week is extremely high-pressure and high stakes, so it helps to listen to music that has the opposite effect. I listen to a lot of Sade and Lana Del Rey during high-stress situations, because their music is often so introspective that it helps isolate you from the craziness of the world.
What did you showcase in Paris? How do you think the creative community will respond? Whether carved on stone or retold orally from generation to generation, Africans have always had poignant, urgent stories to tell and preserve. This season, I wanted to take some of those stories I was brought up on-from mermaids steering ships to wreck, to cunning spirits one should never call by name-and translate them into a collection for the everywoman.
You're a designer, but you're also an entrepreneur. How do you merge the more creative and the more practical sides of your brain? It's about discipline, and also recognizing that creativity and passion must be supported by firm and stable business practices. At the end of the day, fashion is a business, and one must strike a balance that will allow creativity to thrive through commerce.
It's strange when people say something is commercial and make it out to be a bad thing, because that's what allows your story to reach more people who will be able to see themselves in the universe you've created. Ensuring work is desirable will increase sales, which will allow you to create more desirable work, thus forming a great cycle. One thing feeds the other.
What are your biggest sources of inspiration? If you look at my work and themes closely, they've always been about the human condition: the good, bad, and ugly. In that sense, I don't think I will ever run out of inspiration, because people will always surprise you. We are boundless.
Discover the inspiration behind Thebe's latest collection by listening to his takeover of the Fashion Forward Playlist.
Most recent headlines
30/12/2025
As the College Football Playoff Enters the Quarterfinals, ESPN Blows Out Its Meg...
30/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Original ArticlesTake a look back at all our coverage of big-time productions, game-changing technologies, and state-of-the-art new faci...
30/12/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., Dec. 30, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its fourth quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, J...
30/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
30/12/2025
It marked the first civilian operational authorization for a HAPS flight in Europe, led by Space42's subsidiary, Mira Aerospace
The flight demonstrated HAP...
29/12/2025
San Francisco 49ers Strike Gold With Halftime Laser SpectacularStunning display caps $200 million renovation of Levi's Stadium techBy Dan Daley, Audio Edito...
29/12/2025
The Cup's Around the Corner: An Inside Look at Broadcast Preparations for th...
29/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Longform VideoWatch the standout keynote conversations, deep dives, and panel discussions from the year for free on SVG PLAY!By Brandon ...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
29/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today!By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
P...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's The Great Flood and Culinary Class Wars 2 Top Gl...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things By the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shap...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
23/12/2025
New technique lights up where drugs go in the body, cell by cell Scripps Research scientists developed a technique that maps drug binding in individual cells th...
22/12/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Presidio's Neerav Shah on the Role of Its Captiva...
South African fashion designer Thebe Magugu built his name through sleek, forward-looking pieces that often intersect with the culture and history of his home country. Since establishing his eponymous fashion label in Johannesburg in 2016, Thebe has gone on to win multiple prestigious awards and collaborate with some of the world's top fashion labels. 
