FASHION FEATURE
For Quintin Masoga, founder and fashion designer of AlbertoCarolina, that connection to heritage is at the heart of his creative process.
Based in Polokwane, Limpopo, Masoga draws inspiration from a province rich in culture, tradition, and craftsmanship. For AlbertoCarolina, South African heritage represents identity, resilience, creativity, and pride, values that naturally find their way into the clothing.
“ I don’ t want my clothing to simply look beautiful; I want it to communicate something about who we are as South Africans,” he explains.
That philosophy goes beyond reproducing traditional garments. Instead, cultural references are reimagined through contemporary tailoring, silhouettes, and construction techniques, creating pieces that feel unmistakably African without being trapped in the past.
Traditional colours, beadwork, geometric patterns, indigenous textiles, and ceremonial garments all provide inspiration. A detail drawn from traditional dress might find its way into an elegant evening gown, a sharply structured jacket, or a modern suit.
The result is fashion that can move comfortably from a South African wedding or business function to the red carpet and international fashion scene.
HERITAGE INTO THE FUTURE For AlbertoCarolina, this is where heritage becomes exciting, in the space between what has been passed down and what is still to come.
Preserving traditional craftsmanship is equally important. The skills behind beadwork, textiles, and other forms of indigenous craftsmanship are more than techniques; they carry generations of cultural knowledge. Losing them would mean losing part of the stories that make South African identity so distinctive.
But preservation, Masoga believes, should not mean keeping fashion frozen in time.
“ We need to preserve the knowledge while allowing designers to innovate,” he says.
That means encouraging young creatives to learn traditional techniques while experimenting with new fabrics, technology, silhouettes, and construction methods. Heritage stays alive by evolving.
This idea of evolution also shapes AlbertoCarolina’ s view of African fashion on the global stage. Being proudly African and internationally relevant are not opposing ideas.
The key, Masoga says, is understanding the story behind an inspiration rather than simply copying its appearance. What does a particular symbol represent? Why is a certain colour important? What emotion or history does it carry? These questions can become the starting point for creating something that speaks to today’ s fashion-conscious customer.
The ambition is simple but powerful. An AlbertoCarolina garment should feel connected to home when worn in Polokwane, while being recognised as sophisticated contemporary fashion in Johannesburg, Cape Town, London, or New York.
CREATIVE VOCABULARY South Africa’ s diversity offers designers an enormous creative vocabulary. With its many cultures, languages, and traditions, fashion can bring these influences together, encourage collaboration with artisans, and show that African identity is anything but one-dimensional.
For AlbertoCarolina, clothing can become a conversation starter, a way of saying,“ This is who we are,” while creating space to appreciate the traditions of others.
Looking ahead, Masoga hopes the next generation will become even more confident and bold in telling its own stories. Young South African designers, particularly those from places such as Limpopo, should see heritage not as a limitation, but as a creative advantage.
That means learning from local artisans, documenting traditional techniques, and finding new ways to use that knowledge. It also means understanding the business of fashion, because creativity needs strong businesses behind it if South African brands are to grow.
Most importantly, the message is clear: world-class fashion does not have to be created somewhere else.
It can be designed right here at home, rooted in our stories, shaped by our heritage, and ready for the world. IB
SEPTEMBER 2026 / INBOUND SA 57