A race for aspiring fashion designers

Perfect place for rising stars to get exposure

PIERRE RETIEF

AFRICA’S premier horse-racing event, the Vodacom Durban July (VDJ), is so much more to Kwazulu-natal fashion designers and the broader local industry.

Kwazulu-natal Fashion Council (KZNFC) executive for business relations and marketing Neo Nomvete says that over the past decade, the fashion element of the event has seen exponential growth and interest from those who attend the Durban July.

She said the event was the perfect space to give designers the required media exposure to get their brands out there. There was active people interest from the public to get a glimpse of who wore what and who wore it best at the event and to see live social media posts, the next morning’s newspapers and aired-lifestyle TV shows.

The July is a benchmark for local designers with the media exposure and potential clients serving as a great highlight for designers.

“The KZNFC sees the event as not only a fashion extravaganza for emerging designers to showcase their ranges/ brands but also gives them the opportunity to network, learn and develop their skills which enables them to boost their brands. It is often said by our designers that everyone has to showcase at the VDJ,” adds Nomvete.

KZNFC says they are elated that many of their designers worked tirelessly to ensure they put their best outfits forward in the 123rd edition of the event.

They include Deven Hurku (Get Elevated), Makhosazane Ntshangase (Sistas Fellas), Bongiwe Ndaba (Azinga Designs) and Khetha Kweyama (Elppag Brand).

Nomvete says that since many of KZN’S designers are in the emerging category of their brand/business, it merely means that they are not yet established to the level of having a CMT (Cut Make Trim).

A CMT is a small-scale factory that can produce substantial volumes of one particular item. That in turn means that they can occupy retail space. “Some of our emerging-established designers have one to two sample machinists who produce the garments and are essentially like a micro-factory, but most of our designers just do it all themselves.”

According to the KZNFC, the event has carefully focused on the fashion element, which has resulted in local designers being at their peak at this time of the year with orders that they need to complete for clients attending the July at the Greyville Racecourse as well as ranges that they may be showcasing at the event.

“The impact of the event is positive for all participating designers and trickles down to the textile industry as our designers, in preparation for the event, would have purchased the material required for the items they are producing and due to demand would also have to employ some sample machinists to assist with their workload.”

Nomvete says it takes grit, passion and pure hard work for the fashion sector to benefit from this headline event, as no designer has been able to establish their brand without overcoming challenges.

“However, if they are willing to commit to their brand and showcasing their ranges at the pre-events and headline event then they will truly benefit from the exposure.

“It goes without saying that the more orders a designer has, the more money they make and the KZNFC thrives on seeing our designers thrive,” she says.

The KZNFC says greater effort is needed to also consider aspiring designers who do not have the resources to fulfil orders. The challenges designers face are access to resources such as funding for their range and production capacity, which could result in them not being able fulfil vital orders, which will negatively impact on their brands.

The KZNFC says its mandate is to support and assist emerging and established designers as it was constantly trying to identify areas where they can fill the gap to alleviate KZN designers’ challenges. This aspect is where the KZNFC is looking at assisting designers in establishing relations with CMTS that they are able to utilise for small order runs, which they will also require when showcasing their ranges at outbound trade missions.

The KZNFC says it has identified the need to support and assist in the needs of all designers of apparel wear and craft designers with the hopes of seeing more craft designers receiving the exposure they require to sustainably build their brands. “We look forward to what the true Stars of Africa, our local designers, have to offer at the VDJ and how they have interpreted this year’s theme.”

The KZNFC adds that the VDJ serves as a great catalyst in pushing the designers forward and the local industry, not only focusing on the apparel wear, but also craft designers that produce hats, bags, shoes and accessories while getting the opportunity to showcase their products at the headline event.

“We envision that craft designers will receive more exposure and presence at the VDJ going forward,” says Nomvete.

The KZNFC says another issue they have in the fashion industry is unpacking the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and understanding what it means in the current economic climate. The industry had not fully encompassed the Third Industrial Revolution, which comprises the digitisation of manufacturing, it says.

“In a simplistic view, the 4IR is the further development of artificial intelligence, robotics, disruptive technologies and virtual reality. However, it also touches on the relationship we have with the world/environment.

“This is evident in the shift of producing quality over quantity where many designers choose to focus on making quality items that are produced with more natural materials such as the trend of grass woven baskets or ethically sourced leather, cotton, etc,” the council says.