South African fashion designer Thebe Magugu has partnered with Cape Town's Mount Nelson hotel to launch a designer suite and retail space concept. Olivia Palamountain reports

South African fashion designer and LVMH Prize winner Thebe Magugu will launch a designer suite and retail space at Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, Cape Town, this December.

The collaboration will introduce the Thebe Magugu Suite and Magugu House Cape Town, bringing Magugu's distinctive Afro-modernist vision to one of Cape Town's most iconic hotels, redesigning an entire historic wing of the property.

The initiative marks both the designer's hospitality debut and Belmond's first designer residence initiative.The Thebe Magugu Suite will occupy two floors, featuring a striking lobby leading into a lounge and dining area designed for intimate gatherings, complete with cocktail cabinet. The upper terrace offers views of Table Mountain, Lion's Head and the hotel's palm-lined entrance, whilst the king-size bedroom features patterned fabrics and opens onto a balcony overlooking the Mount Nelson's grounds.

Magugu House Cape Town will operate as a curated retail and cultural space co-created with StudioLandt, showcasing limited-edition pieces, archival garments and accessories from the designer's collections, rotating seasonally. The space will function as both boutique and cultural hub, hosting salon-style events, screenings and exhibitions whilst featuring books and objects celebrating African design, literature and craft.
Magugu, whose work has been showcased from Paris Fashion Week to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is known for celebrating African identity through contemporary design. The designer won the LVMH Prize, one of fashion's most prestigious awards for emerging talent, establishing his international reputation beyond the African continent.

The collaboration stems from Mount Nelson's Confections x Collections programme, an annual celebration of Pan-African fashion curated by sustainability platform Twyg. Now in its fourth year since debuting in 2022, the initiative originally featured Magugu as its inaugural designer, creating an established relationship that has evolved into this permanent partnership.The Thebe Magugu Suite will join Belmond's Signature Suites and Villas collection and become available for booking from December 2025. Magugu House Cape Town will open to the public from 10 November 2025, making the cultural space accessible to both hotel guests and Cape Town residents.
The initiative underscores Cape Town's growing reputation as a creative hub whilst providing Magugu with a permanent showcase for his work in his home country. The collaboration may influence other luxury hotel brands to explore similar partnerships with fashion designers as a means of differentiating their properties through cultural programming.