The thing about most masters of their craft is that everyone else lands up doing things on their terms. We do this because we respect their achievements, we recognise their talent and we acknowledge their fan base.

There is a power inherent in success and recognition. But most of all, if we can put aside our own egos, we realise that if we want to see them perform at their best, then they should be allowed freedom of expression, unconstrained by form and function.

Obviously with this approach, however, there are inherent risks and things can go horribly wrong. And so the question at this year's Arise Cape Town Fashion Week was — where did the first off-site, on-his-own-terms show by the great South African design phenomenon, Gavin Rajah, fall on this continuum?

Was it a great success and triumph, a confusing misstep or something in between?

How do you define success

Well, that would depend on who you speak to, how you define success and what your personal feelings are on the man, the matter and the choice of sponsors for this show. When it comes to the Rajah, everyone has an opinion and he has a view on everyone. But whatever your own ideas, I can categorically say, there is no middle ground here.

What Gavin's show demanded was total respect for his ability to thrill an audience, to grab your attention and to make his vision apparent. What was also clear was that he was not resting on his laurels, that no matter his stature in the fashion industry, he is going to continue to push, and explore and interrogate fashion as a means of expression.

It was also Gavin's own coming-of-age time, childhood over and a time to take personal responsibility for his rebellion and recourse.

Left a lasting impression

As Gavin himself said: "I envisaged the show as Narnia gone grunge — I wanted my models to be the prom queen who has lost her innocence and is falling out of the club at six the next morning with her denim jacket thrown over her gown and her trainers on her feet."

It is this concept of beauty that was explored throughout. Not an obvious beauty, but one that has gone through pain, through personal subjugation and humiliation and come out the other side different. Not better, just altered and a little more interesting.

Beauty in negative spaces is a powerful force that makes you look deeper, make allowances and appreciate that in a stark luxury car showroom is a sumptuous show venue, in an exhausted exotic dancer is a stunning belle of the ball, in a piece of utilitarian denim is an exquisite evening gown, in a personal journey of loss is the hope and inspiration for the future.

It is this expression that left a lasting impression on me after the show. It was most satisfyingly more of an acquired taste, rather than the quick sugary fix of pop fashion.

Having said that, the first half of the show was dedicated to a new partnership that Gavin has formed with the Levis brand of denim jeans wear — and it was not to my personal taste. It is apparent from the response to the show, however, that my personal taste is not to be trusted as the demand for these dramatically customised denim pieces — men's and lady's jackets, jeans, dresses and skirts — has exceeded even Gavin's expectations.

Chatting a couple of days before the show, Gavin explained that his store would not be stocking the denim after the show as it was slightly incongruent with his store brand, rather it was the Levis stores that would be selling the unique pieces in summer 2010.

Just this week, however, on the back of the response to the show, it has been agreed that Rajah clients can now actually bring their own Levis into the Gavin Rajah store and have them personally customised. And that was my turned-up nose firmly put back in place.

100 percent successful

I asked Gavin if he would do it again, this collaboration with the kings of denim jeans, and he didn't hesitate, "It was 100 percent successful and I couldn't hope to work with cooler people. The whole collaboration has been such a pleasure that we are currently looking at a new project to undertake together."

And so it was left to the evening gowns to bring the more conventional beauty onto the catwalk in the second part of the show. With almost unrivalled local craftsmanship, I can't help but believe that the Rajah studio must be well paid because they really seem to have attracted and kept the very best in the business.

But like everything in this show, the narrative was anything but straightforward.

"He is clever, that one," says Mary Reynolds, long time Rajah show producer. "He knows how to present even the most simple of gowns in a way that is compelling and dramatic. That comes from the inside, from his intelligence."

And when you hear that his gowns were influenced by the sketches of Kurt Cobain and the autobiography of Marilyn Manson, you begin to see the elements of tragedy and alleged genius, dark and light, conventional and inspired that these two musicians have brought to the world in the fragile and exquisite beauty of the silk gowns.

You understand that the designer has produced beauty but that it is influenced by the heartbreak of recent loss and the fleeting comfort of nostalgia.

This was a show on the designer's own terms, this was a show of self expression and a visible personal journey. And while I had a few of my own misgivings, it was an absolute privilege to have shared this journey with him — his way. Anyone who knows Gavin and respects his talent wouldn't have it any other way.

For more information on Robyn and other stories of designers and fashion weeks, go to: styleguidecapetown.blogspot.com

For more information on customising your Levis, contact the Gavin Rajah store on +27 21 683 5188.