This weekend the news broke that current President Kgalema Motlanthe, is buying his new suits for office from Cape-Town based men's wear designers — The House of Monatic.

Makers of the brands Carducci and C², this is the first local fashion house to dress a president for quite some time.

With Mbeki favouring Hugo Boss, and Zuma a fan of Italian suits, it will be an unfortunately short-lived hiatus in buying local for our leader.

But why should SA men buy from our own home-grown designers?

Aside from national pride and stimulating the local retail economy, there are many reasons why it is a fabulous example for our leaders to set.

In many countries around the world, it is considered a massive political and diplomatic faux pas for the country leader to be seen in anything other than locally designed and manufactured garments on official business.

But there are five other reasons to love and live local in South Africa...

Let's talk about the weather

South Africa has a very different climate to that of Europe, where most of the international men's suits are designed and made. This affects the fabric composition and the construction of the suits — particularly the jackets.

While an Italian suit is made for the cold European climate, a local suit will take into consideration the heat of the summer. Fabric, colour and fit, will all accommodate the South African climate — no matter which part of the country you are from.

Style statements

South Africans are not as fond of dressing as formally as our European cousins, and Motlanthe himself has said that he feels suffocated when wearing a suit and tie.

Local designers take this into account when designing suits and there is a broader selection of styles and colours on offer that are more appropriately informal, particularly in the summer ranges.

Shirt selection specifically points to a local aesthetic, with print being more organic and colourful than the standard fare on offer from the international fashion labels.

Bold and beautiful

Lining, cut and colour are all a little more adventurous in South Africa than the classic tailored suits from Saville Row.

The first reason is that while the natural daylight is diffused in Europe, here in SA it is bright and strong. This can be absorbed by a much heartier colour palette. And secondly, South African men are, in general, a bit more robust in character than the leaders of the European nations, so a bolder clothing choice is a more natural fit for their personalities.

We must also bear in mind that the physiology of a South African leader is different to that of the Germans, British or even Italians. Local designers make clothing to work on our bodies, not those of the other nations. As such, a local suit is more likely to fit and flatter your body a bit more.

Listen to your elders

Taking cues from the many indigenous tribes of South Africa, pattern and colour is worked into the designs for our local suits.

The traditional black and grey suit that has been adopted by South African leaders for decades, with the exception of Nelson Mandela, goes against who we are as a people and where we have come from.

While international protocol should be followed wherever possible, there is no reason for our leaders not to do this with a proud, local flair.

Come and get it

We have some wonderful local men's wear designers, like Artistic Soul, that are working almost exclusively in combining the European framework for the suit and current trends with an African aesthetic for both formal and casual wear.

I understand that in the past, this may have been part of the problem — the lack of locally designed men's wear.

But these days, both with the drive from African Fashion International, and the natural development of the industry, there really is a broad and comprehensive selection of choices for our local lads to buy. No more excuses!

A few weeks ago, when writing about local fashion and celebrities, I dissed Carducci for their choice of celebrity ambassadors. And I felt that this let the designers down since I really loved their collection. So it now the time for me to encourage all you trendy South African men out there to go and give their range a go, just like our current President.

With the C² one-button suit jacket, complete with slim lapels and electric lining a shining light in their collection, anyone with an eye for style will be spoiled for choice.

Buy local for the fit, colour, price and style — and land up supporting our local retail and fashion industry at the same time. What could be more patriotic than that?

For more information on Robyn and her personal styling services, go to: www.robyncooke-styleguide.co.za