Sheila-Madge Bakker is a Pretoria-based designer who reconciles concept and the Avant-garde with wearability, assimilating the fashionable masses to thought-out clothing and deliberate living.

She takes inspiration from the natural environment in which she was raised, as well as designers such as Maison Martin Margiela, Alexander McQueen, Valentino and Yiqing Yin. Elements of the forest plantations in the Natal Midlands and the ocean, specifically Bakoven beach in Cape Town, manifest strongly in the colours and textures of many of her designs.

Still a young label, it is gaining momentum on both the local and international stage, including having been featured in The Lake-, and C-Heads Magazine and winning the Foschini Design Awards in 2013. The stage outfits worn by Inge Beckman on Lark’s Gong has struck Tour in 2012 were custom-made by the designer and incorporated monkey skulls and an eerie aesthetic. In her spare time, she has also styled for photographers such as Phil Engelhardt and Katinka Bester.

Looking to the future, Sheila-Madge Bakker hopes to move within the international space of competitive design, delivering high-quality garments that are equally comfortable in the street and as high art.