Quest to find the next fashionista

TWELVE hopeful fashion designers from around the country will battle it out in a series of challenges to become “The Intern”. The 13-week reality show The Intern, soon to air on SABC3 follows internationally acclaimed designer David Tlale as he puts each designer through their paces in a bid to find the ultimate assistant designer to join his in-house fashion brand.

“Every week the contestants will be exposed to a new challenge. Through each challenge they will experience a facet of the fashion industry such as design, fabric sourcing, range development and production, quality control, retail and media training. I am expecting them to have commitment, skills and passion. I want the next intern to strive for excellence. They need to be aware of all the opportunities that are offered and capitalise on them,” said Tlale.

In preparation for the show, Tlale and his team went on a national roadshow to Cape Town, Durban, Polokwane and Johannesburg to find the 12 lucky designers who will participate in The Intern.

Each hopeful had to either be self-taught with a minimum of three years experience in the fashion industry or be a final-year fashion design student.

“The audition process was very interesting in terms of the variety of talent. I am always pleased to see young fashion designers who enter the competition with hunger and present to the judges beautiful garments. I have been very fortunate to audition quite a lot of contestants. My main focus is to nurture talent and develop young designers. I want to say to people there is talent that can be found in South Africa,” Tlale said.

Throughout the show, each designer will get exposure and, once eliminated from the competion, they will go on to participate in a sixmonth internship programme with Tlale. The ultimate winner will become Tlale’s assistant designer and win a studio valued at R250 000.

Tlale said he was looking for exquisite craftsmanship in garments.

“I want to see technique and good execution along with a very personal signature that sets a contestant apart from the others. What I do not want to see is laziness. I do not want to see garments unfinished, with no lining, no binding. All the contestants need to strive for excellence,” he said.

Tlale said if contestants wanted to get ahead in the competition they would need to prioritise.

“They must focus and not forget the reasons why they entered the competition. They have to push their boundaries and always be open-minded.

They should also remember that success doesn’t come overnight,” he said.