Foschini Turns 100 with a Fabulous Fahion Gala Featuring Rich Mnisi

Foschini 100 is a special milestone celebration of South Africa’s very first chain store. That’s an entire century of dressing South African women through life’s defining moments – from weddings and birthdays to anniversaries and beyond. Today, Foschini remains committed to empowering women through accessible style, quality, and design that celebrate every chapter of their lives. Here’s what you need to know.

Foschini 100 x RICH MNISI 10 collection | What's on in Cape Town — Rich Mnisi and Michael Lewis; Sarah Langa

Style and culture at the gala event

The guest list featured some of the leading artists, magazine editors, and stylists in South Africa’s creative scene. Host Anelisa Mangcu and Shirley van Wyk set the tone early, while Sarah Langa and muse Connie Ferguson demonstrated why they remain style benchmarks. Bina Genovese from Strauss & Co added a stylish twist through considered accessories for her custom RICH MNISI look.

Arrivals were welcomed to Zeitz MOCAA museum for an immersive gallery exhibition showing Foschini’s archival campaigns and garments that traced not just a brand’s evolution. A short film screening further highlighted the fashion brand’s continued impact on the South African woman’s relationship with style over the many years.

The evening highlight included a special address by Chairperson of The Foschini Group, Michael Lewis and a rare appearance by Wendy Lewis. Mr Lewis comes from a prominent family with a long history in retail and investment, and his father was Stanley Lewis, who took control of Foschini in 1958.

A fashion auction hosted by Strauss & Co

For the Foschini 100 gala event, Mnisi designed a special collection of 14 couture-level works that incorporate some of his signature design elements. The show was presented on the basement level of Zeitz MOCAA with reflecting panels and a live DJ set by Lamiez Holworthy, produced especially for the occasion.

“I’ve always designed for women – for their strength, their contradictions, their stories,” explained Mnisi. “Collaborating with Foschini on both of our milestones felt like extending that story to every woman who’s ever found herself in front of one of their mirrors.”

Local auction house, Strauss & Co, hosted the bidding to raise much-needed funds for Move Africa, an initiative working to end period poverty nationwide, ensuring girls gain access to menstrual care and dignity.

Shop the Foschini 100 x RICH MNISI 10 collection

When Foschini celebrated its centenary, its collaboration with Rich Mnisi — himself marking a decade in fashion — felt less like a coincidence and more like a cultural inevitability. The Signature Dress from this capsule collection marries modern silhouettes with Mnisi’s iconic prints, offering fluidity and confidence in motion.

The Tailored Blazer, cut with geometric precision, redefines everyday elegance. The Statement Skirt pairs bold pleating with summer prints for a look that refuses subtlety, while The Refined Trousers merge Mnisi’s sharp tailoring with Foschini’s practical sophistication. Completing the Foschini 100 collection, The Petal Print Sandals translate the designer’s signature motif into an effortlessly wearable form — proof that true luxury can be both grounded and expressive.