“Finding classic male styles and making it quirky, edgy and risky”
That is how young designer, Ruan Goosen, describes his style.
Taking a look at some of his work we think this description is spot on – and we love it!
Ruan’s journey as a designer has had a few twists, turns and up-hill battles. But, driven by his passion he has gone from selling caps to his friends to pay for fashion school to preparing for fashion week 2022.
It all started by taking Design as a subject at high school. Ruan was encouraged by his teacher to “follow his instics” and these led him to the world of fashion. His entry point was through another of his talents, photography. At Fashion Week 2013 Ruan met a few designers and worked his way into freelancing with everyone from Ruald Rheeder to Marks & Spencer. From there Ruan completed a BCom Marketing and Financial Management degree at Stellenbosch University as well as a BA in Fashion Design at Elizabeth Galloway Academy of Fashion Design.
Sustainability has always been at the heart of Ruan’s collections. For his very first fashion show back when he was still in school, Ruan crafted The Grunge Collection. This featured garments made entirely from trash bags. Today, Ruan sources all his fabrics locally and focusses on quality and durability. This is evident in his previous collections, “Azul” and “Boys in Red”.
