Every so often, a brand arrives with such a clear point of view that it makes everything around it look unfinished. ANUNES is that brand. Founded by Angolan-born designer Ana Nunes, this South African label fuses avant-garde creativity with real-world wearability, and does it with a level of confidence that is rare to see this early in a designer’s career.
ANUNES exists at an intersection few brands manage to hold. Nunes designs with a clear philosophy: fashion that empowers individuality while staying grounded in sustainability and adaptability. That is not a marketing line tacked onto a press release. It is visible in the construction of every piece, in the choice of materials, and in the way each garment is built to move with the person wearing it rather than against them. This is clothing designed for life, not just for a runway moment.
Her collection, The Second Drive, unveiled at South African Fashion Week SS26, is the clearest proof yet of what makes ANUNES so compelling. The inspiration is unmistakable from the first look: Formula 1. Not as a costume or a gimmick, but as a genuine structural language. Nunes has taken the rigid engineering of a race car and the plush comfort of its interior and translated both into clothing, resulting in pieces that feel disciplined and fluid at the same time.
Structured coats, sharply cut jackets and puffer vests carry the poise of bodywork, while parachute trousers, cargo pants and dress trousers bring an ease of movement built for speed and precision.
The palette does just as much storytelling as the silhouettes. Cream white, mahogany red, charcoal grey and black move through the collection with the polish of a high performance vehicle fresh off the production line. Nothing here feels accidental. Texture carries the same intention: treated leather brings a rugged, tactile edge, corduroy adds grip and warmth, and knitted wool sweaters soften the collection just enough to stop it from feeling severe. The push and pull between hard and soft surfaces gives The Second Drive a depth that rewards a closer look.
The standout moment comes through the trench coats, where the leather sleeves have been manipulated into a ruched, engineered shirring effect so precise it looks almost mechanical, as though the fabric had been assembled rather than sewn. Just as compelling is the ARC44 bag, shaped after a steering wheel, a bold and literal nod to the collection’s central idea, and a rare, welcome addition to the thin category of true statement accessories for men.
None of this is happenstance. Nunes holds an honours degree in fashion from STADIO School of Fashion, and that training shows in the discipline behind even her most daring ideas. It is this combination, technical skill paired with genuine imagination, that has made ANUNES impossible to ignore. She was recently named a finalist in the Scouting Menswear category at South African Fashion Week, a competition that has become one of the continent’s most credible launchpads for emerging talent, and one look at The Second Drive makes it obvious why.
ANUNES feels like a brand that already knows exactly what it wants to say. With a philosophy this considered and a collection this bold, Ana Nunes is not a designer to watch quietly from the sidelines. She is one to watch closely, because whatever comes next from ANUNES is bound to move fashion forward, much like the machines that inspired her most recent work.
