Thebe Magugu expands his world at Belmond’s Mount Nelson

thebe magugu mount nelson belmond hotel cape town — Thebe Magugu Suite bedroom

(Image credit: Photography by Inge Prins)

For two years, Thebe Magugu has kept a secret. ‘I was almost desperate to let it all out,’ he tells Wallpaper*. The 32-year-old South African fashion designer, who founded his eponymous label in 2016, marks its tenth anniversary with a landmark collaboration with Belmond: the unveiling of the Thebe Magugu Suite and next-door Magugu House, a concept store and cultural space for creative exchange.

Thebe Magugu expands his world

Magugu’s Afro-modernist language, underpinned by an Afro-encyclopaedic approach to histories, people and cultures at risk of erasure, earned him the prestigious 2019 LVMH Prize. That same ethos now extends beyond the garment, unfolding into a new chapter at Belmond’s Mount Nelson hotel, a property captured by British photographer Rosie Marks for Photo London 2024. He describes the project as ‘cerebral and eclectic’: a calibrated tension between English grandeur and African sensuality.

The relationship began three years ago, when the hotel hosted its salon-style Confections & Collections series and invited Magugu to present. ‘It wasn’t long before we began discussing bigger projects, and that’s when the idea of a Thebe Magugu Suite emerged. During the initial site visit, I noticed unused spaces next door and asked to take them over to form Magugu House,’ he says. Here, luxury is defined less by excess than by its capacity to bring joy to others.

Across both sites, interiors are layered with cultural reference, filtered through a modernist lens. ‘Juxtaposition feels inherently South African, from utter camp to puritan conservatism, tradition set against futurism. That duality was intentional,’ he explains.

He continues: ‘Too often, “African-inspired” interiors – especially when shaped from outside the continent – flatten into something one-dimensional, stripping away the sophistication, nuance and intelligence embedded in African visual languages. It was important to present a contemporary South Africa, rather than a fetishised, auto-exotic vision shaped by an external gaze.’

The two-storey Thebe Magugu Suite unfolds as a visually charged Afro-modernist sanctuary, with views across Lion’s Head, the hotel gardens and Palm Avenue. A palette of invigorating greens, deep indigos, warm neutrals and earthy ochres anchors the space. Natural materials – marble, stone, wood, wool, cotton and straw – ground it, while layered surfaces and finishes draw the hand.

Collaboration sits at the core of the project. Magugu worked with South African artisans throughout; there are hand-illustrated wallpapers by Cara Saven, custom-knotted rugs by Crayon Artel and Rugalia, and timber pieces by Ken Leiman. ‘The aim was to embed a sense of place through hand-finished details and objects carrying the imprint of their makers,’ he says.

That attention extends to the guest experience. Working with Mount Nelson’s tea sommelier, Craig Cupido, Magugu developed a bespoke blend exclusive to guests, moving from notes of vanilla and condensed milk to indigenous herbs such as impepho and buchu. Almost all furniture and artworks across the suite and house are bespoke too. Highlights include a sculptural pendant light reworking the mokorotlo straw hat, and references to rhebok footprints rendered as silk yarn ‘track marks’ across a circular rug in New Zealand wool.

‘The art is by some of the leading artists of their generation,’ says Magugu, ‘artists I’m grateful to call friends – Mmangaliso Nzuza, Lorenzo Plaatjies, Lulama Wolf, Banele Khoza, Zandile Tshabalala and Trevor Stuurman.’

Conceived as a living platform for cultural exchange, and developed with Studio Landt, Magugu House spotlights limited-edition fashion, archival garments, art, photography, books and objects. Programming will evolve through quarterly exhibitions, beginning with ‘By Our Own Hands’, featuring Zanele Muholi and Zizipho Poswa. Co-curated with Julia Buchanan, it explores ‘the hand’, positioning making as both articulation and resistance. Each season’s programme will span film, publishing and community-led events.

Both spaces – the Magugu Suite and House – are designed to enrich visitors culturally, mentally and physically. Guests are offered access to key institutions across Cape Town, from Zeitz MOCAA to Southern Guild, alongside Belmond Mount Nelson’s concierge-led experiences.

‘I’ve loved the collaborative nature of this project,’ reflects Magugu. ‘So many hands working in unison towards a singular vision has shifted my perspective on ownership – from “I” to “we”.’

thebe magugu mount nelson belmond cape town — Thebe Magugu portrait

Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, Cape Town is located at 76 Orange St, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa

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Sofia de la Cruz is the Travel Editor at Wallpaper*. A self-declared flâneuse, she feels most inspired when taking the role of a cultural observer – chronicling the essence of cities and remote corners through their nuances, rituals, and people. Her work lives at the intersection of art, design, and culture, often shaped by conversations with the photographers who capture these worlds through their lens.