This season, Foschini explores the many ways to style smartwear, using hair as its key accessory. Blazer dresses and tailored suit sets are paired with elaborate, decorative and imaginative hairstyles which showcase Africa’s magnificent hair heritage.

For this campaign, the popular retailer partnered with natural hair artist, Nikiwe Dlova to recreate and reimagine iconic hairstyles inspired by the women who adorn them. The result? Bold, dynamic looks for glass-ceiling breakers who are unafraid to be authentically themselves. Dlova is well known in South Africa for her bold, colourful and unique headpieces which are a celebration of her Xhosa culture. The 34-year-old Diepkloof-born entrepreneur is the founder of Own UR Crown, which started off as a blog in 2016 and later extended into what her business is now.

What we love about Nikiwe’s approach is the contemporary spin to ancient hairstyles. Smartwear campaigns are usually dominated by simple hairstyles which in line with outdated ideas of what corporate dressing should be. In contrast, this visual presentation celebrates the diverse creativity which exists in most African cultural hairstyles. The use of added extensions allows for women of all hair lengths and textures to be inspired to explore their own creativity.

The campaign is thoughtfully shot with a group of women who embody the energy and dynamism that Foschini are bringing with its new range. On the connection between hair and fashion, the artist says, “They go hand in hand and influence each other. Hair is an accessory which completes the look.”