This December, Thebe Magugu will extend his creative universe beyond the runway and into one of Africa’s most storied hotels. Marking the 10-year anniversary of his brand, the South African designer unveils the Thebe Magugu Afro-Modernist Suite at Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, Cape Town, known affectionately as “the Nellie.” This historic debut represents the hotel’s first-ever designer collaboration in its 125-year history, signalling a bold new chapter where hospitality, fashion, and art converge.
Alongside the suite, Magugu introduces Magugu House Cape Town, a concept store and cultural hub dedicated to African design and dialogue. Together, these twin projects mark the designer’s first official presence in Cape Town and his inaugural foray into hospitality design.
Set along the Nellie’s iconic palm-lined avenue, the Afro-Modernist suite transforms one of the property’s historic wings into an immersive homage to South African craft and narrative. Designed in collaboration with StudioLandt, the suite explores an “Afro-English” aesthetic: terrazzo floors in unexpected greens and peat, a hand-sketched panoramic wallpaper reimagining Southern African landscapes, and ceremonial carved furniture anchoring each space.
Image: Rosie Marks
Art rotates seasonally in partnership with Southern Guild, beginning with works by Mmangaliso Nzuza, alongside contributions from Lulama Wolf, Zandile Tshabalala, Banele Khoza, Lorenzo Plaatjies, and Trevor Stuurman. Upstairs, a king-size bedroom opens to a private terrace overlooking Table Mountain and Lion’s Head. In the bathroom, earthy rusts and burgundies echo the warmth of a cave, offset by bronze and marble detailing that roots the experience in the region’s material richness.
“It is preservation, not reinvention,” Magugu notes. “I wanted to create a space where guests live within culture, through art, craft, and history, while enjoying the gracious ease Mount Nelson has offered for more than a century.”
Magugu’s personal heritage is woven into the suite. A pendant light inspired by the Basotho Mokorotlo hat anchors the dining room, while bespoke wooden pieces mirror the curves of traditional pottery. Hand-pleated textiles recall his grandmother’s Sunday ritual of folding garments for church, every crease a gesture of care and precision.
Launching in tandem, Magugu House Cape Town is part boutique, part gallery, part salon. Limited-edition collections will be displayed alongside sculptures by Zizipho Poswa and photography by Zanele Muholi, with a curated library of African literature and design objects rounding out the offering. The space will also host exhibitions, screenings, and salon-style events, cementing its role as a platform for aesthetic exchange and creative community.
Image: Courtney Patrick
“Magugu House heroes African luxury: refined, forward-looking yet rooted in culture,” Magugu says. “It is where the past, present, and imagined future of Africa exists in dialogue, a philosophy of Afro-Modernity.”
Belmond has a history of commissioning global creatives, from Wes Anderson’s British Pullman carriage to JR’s Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. Yet this partnership is a milestone. “Thebe Magugu’s work is alive with narrative and authenticity,” says Neal Ludick, Belmond’s Director of Interior Design. “It is the perfect interpretation of cultural dialogue expressed through space.”
The project stems from Confections x Collections, the annual Pan-African fashion showcase curated by sustainability platform Twyg. Magugu was its inaugural designer in 2022. This November, the fourth edition will climax with his Spring/Summer 2026 collection and the unveiling of both suite and store, transforming the Nellie from a stage for fashion to a permanent home for it.
Image: Rosie Marks
The Thebe Magugu suite will be part of Belmond’s Signature Suites and Villas and will be available to book from December 2025.To make a reservation, join the waiting list by contacting reservations.mnh@belmond.com.
Magugu House Cape Town will be open to the public from the 10th of November 2025. Confections X Collections will take place from 6 – 8 November 2025.
Ntokozo Maseko has never been one to wait her turn. At 25, she became the youngest editor in the history of South Africa’s heritage title BONA, steering the four-language magazine into the digital era and winning the title a Thetha Masombuka Award for linguistic excellence along the way. Named one of the Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans, she has since built a 17-year career shaping the voice of iconic brands across luxury, lifestyle, and culture.
Her editorial eye has graced various mastheads; from a legacy print title, an innovative digital magazine to a pan African luxury platform. Today, as inaugural Editor-in-Chief of Robb Report Africa, Ntokozo curates a world where African excellence meets global luxury, telling the stories of the continent’s most remarkable people, places, and creations with precision, wit, and unapologetic style.
