Precious Moloi-Motsepe has built a career spanning medicine, fashion, business and philanthropy, but her strongest influence on South Africa’s fashion industry has come through African Fashion International (AFI), the organisation she founded in 2007.

AFI was created to promote African designers and give them access to platforms beyond the traditional fashion show. Over the years, it has grown to include fashion weeks in Johannesburg and Cape Town, designer development, retail, international showcases and industry partnerships.

Photo: Getty Images

One of its key initiatives is the AFI Fastrack programme, which supports emerging designers with business development, mentorship, networking and market exposure. Its alumni include South African designers Thebe Magugu and Rich Mnisi, who have since built international careers. The programme reflects Moloi-Motsepe’s focus on the business side of fashion, giving young creatives tools to develop brands as well as collections.

That approach has helped position fashion as more than a creative pursuit. AFI has consistently placed emphasis on the commercial realities facing designers, including production, marketing, business management and access to markets. Moloi-Motsepe has also spoken about the challenges facing South Africa’s clothing industry, including production costs and limited manufacturing infrastructure.

Photo: Simon Deiner / SDR

Her influence reaches into beauty and lifestyle through the broader fashion platforms AFI has developed. Its events bring together designers, stylists, musicians, celebrities and beauty professionals, placing clothing alongside hair, make-up and entertainment. AFI’s work around major events, including the Metro FM Music Awards, has further connected fashion with South Africa’s music and entertainment industries.

The international side of her work has also expanded. In 2025, AFI was involved with Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition exploring Black dandyism and its history. AFI also co-hosted Afro Dandy: Tailored for Africa with Harvard’s Center for African Studies in New York, extending the conversation around African fashion beyond the continent.

Photo: Getty

Back in South Africa, AFI continues to provide platforms for established and emerging designers through fashion events, retail initiatives and collaborations. The organisation has also developed its own fashion ventures, including NALA Privé.

Moloi-Motsepe’s business interests extend beyond fashion. Through the Motsepe Foundation, which she co-founded with Patrice Motsepe, she has been involved in education, entrepreneurship, community development, sport, music and leadership programmes. The foundation has also supported bursaries and initiatives aimed at expanding opportunities for young people.

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Her career is therefore less about designing clothes herself and more about building the structures around those who do. Through AFI, she has spent almost two decades connecting African designers with audiences, industry professionals and commercial opportunities.

That has made her work relevant across fashion, beauty and business. The clothes may be what audiences see first, but Moloi-Motsepe’s contribution has largely been behind the platforms, programmes and partnerships that help African creative businesses grow.

Faith Nketsi has given wide-leg denim a dressed-up update, pairing dark indigo trousers with a shimmering black crop top and a Dior handbag. The combination keeps the outfit grounded in denim while the accessories and beauty look give it a more polished finish.

The trousers are the defining piece. Cut with a high waist and very wide legs, the dark indigo denim falls almost to the floor, creating a relaxed shape through the lower half of the outfit. Visible stitching runs along the waistband, pockets and legs, while the simple finish keeps the trousers easy to pair with the more eye-catching top.

Photo: Instagram/@Faith Nketsi

Nketsi wears the jeans with a black cropped camisole covered in a fine, reflective texture. The top has slim straps, a softly draped neckline and a fitted cut that exposes part of her midriff. Its subtle shine brings a dressier feel to the denim, while the cropped length provides a clear contrast with the volume of the trousers.

She carries a small black Dior handbag with quilted detailing and gold hardware. The compact bag sits at her side, while the gold details tie in with the jewellery she wears. On her feet are black open-toe sandals with slim straps, paired with a white pedicure.

Photo: Instagram/@Faith Nketsi

Her jewellery includes several silver-toned bracelets, a watch, rings and a delicate necklace with a small cross pendant. The accessories are kept relatively simple, allowing the textured top and wide-leg trousers to remain the main elements of the outfit.

For beauty, Nketsi wears her dark hair in soft shoulder-length waves with a deep side part. Her makeup includes defined brows, winged eyeliner, long lashes, warm-toned eyeshadow and a glossy nude lip. The warm makeup tones work with the black and indigo clothing without introducing another strong colour.

Photo: Instagram/@Faith Nketsi

The look also fits with Nketsi’s established interest in combining fitted pieces with more relaxed or oversized clothing. In a June 2025 fashion feature, she was pictured in a black bodysuit with a cropped jacket, knee-high boots and a Dior bag, showing another take on the fitted-and-structured combination. This time, she takes that contrast in a more casual direction, using wide-leg denim as the foundation and letting the textured black top and accessories lift the outfit.

Wisdom Kaye started making fashion videos in 2020, filming styling ideas at home and posting them on TikTok. Six years later, the fashion creator has received one of the industry’s honours named after the late Virgil Abloh.

Kaye was presented with the Virgil Abloh Award, presented by LVMH, at Harlem’s Fashion Row’s 19th Annual Fashion Show & Style Awards in New York on September 8. The ceremony, held at The Glasshouse, was part of the events surrounding New York Fashion Week and recognised Black creatives across fashion, media and culture.

Photo: Instagram/@Wisdom Kaye

The award is particularly fitting for Kaye because his route into fashion did not begin with a traditional fashion job. His online presence came first. He built an audience through styling videos before moving into modelling, brand campaigns, runway appearances and major fashion events.

Kaye’s early TikTok videos were built around styling and visual transformation. He used clothes, editing and different characters to create short fashion-focused videos from his home. His work soon attracted attention from the fashion industry, and he was signed by IMG Models.

Photo: Instagram/@Wisdom Kaye

From there, the Houston-born creator began working with some of fashion’s biggest names. Harlem’s Fashion Row lists Dior, Fendi, Prada, Valentino, Ralph Lauren, Tiffany & Co., Coach and AMI Paris among the brands he has worked with. He has also walked for Balmain.

His move from social media creator to fashion professional has also included appearances on some of the industry’s biggest stages. In 2024, Kaye made his Met Gala debut wearing a dramatic Robert Wun look. The appearance further established him as a fashion figure beyond TikTok, while his online platform remained an important part of his career.

In 2025, Kaye was included in the inaugural TIME100 Creators list, recognising creators whose influence extends beyond social media. A year later, he took another step into the traditional fashion establishment when he joined the expert panel for the 2026 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers. LVMH lists him alongside editors, stylists, creative directors and other established figures in the fashion industry.

Photo: Instagram/@Wisdom Kaye

That progression makes his Virgil Abloh Award notable. Abloh himself became known for challenging the usual boundaries between luxury fashion, streetwear, music and popular culture. He founded Off-White and became Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Artistic Director in 2018, a position he held until his death in 2021.

Kaye’s career has followed a different route, but there is a clear connection in the way both understood the importance of culture beyond the traditional runway. Kaye first built an audience through his own content before fashion houses, modelling agencies and major events became part of his professional life.

Photo: Instagram/@Wisdom Kaye

At Harlem’s Fashion Row, his award was announced alongside honours for Erykah Badu, Brandon Blackwood, Jahleel Weaver, Audrey Smaltz and Recho Omondi. Badu received the Fashion Icon Award, Blackwood was named Designer of the Year, Weaver received Stylist of the Year, Smaltz received the Ann Lowe Maverick Award and Omondi was named Editor of the Year.

For Kaye, the Virgil Abloh Award marks another stage in a career that began with a phone, a wardrobe and an audience on social media. What started as fashion content made at home has grown into work with global fashion houses, appearances at the Met Gala, a place among TIME’s leading creators and, now, an award carrying the name of one of fashion’s most influential modern figures.