Thebe Magugu’s Cape Town: Art, Records, and Late-Night Bars

South African fashion designer Thebe Magugu, though based in Johannesburg, often travels to Cape Town for work—including a suite he designed at Mount Nelson, a Belmond Hotel, filled with works by local artists. His current collection explores the changing face of African spirituality, and he says the people wearing his clothes help preserve his vision.

Magugu’s must-visit spots include the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, which he calls one of the city’s most beautiful buildings and home to the largest collection of contemporary art by Africans and the diaspora. He also frequents Southern Guild gallery and Under the Aegis, a space run by his friend Anelisa Mangcu.

For inspiration, he browses Longmarket Street, where vendors sell African masks, straw mats, and wood carvings of both realistic and mythological animals. He never goes with a plan but knows he’ll eventually use the items he finds.

Music is central to his Cape Town life. He shops at Roastin’ Records and dances with friends at Souk, while Gqom Therapy—dedicated to a new genre of South African dance music—is a must-do party with an excellent sound system.

He also recommends concept shop AKJP Studio, started by friends Keith Henning and Jody Paulsen, which stocks top South African designers and turns into a bar for local creatives from 6 p.m.