A break for hot talent
IT WAS lights, camera, action as celebs put their best foot forward to welcome in the new fashion season.
On Monday, the Cruz Vodka SA Fashion Week (SAFW) opening party was the event to be at as fashionistas, designers, influencers and media gathered to celebrate the beginning of a week of fashion.
The Autumn/Winter 2020 luxury collections will be on show from tonight as the New Talent search opens the event, with collections from Mas’ooda, Baie Abayas, House of Lucent, The Breed, Armor Designs, Loice, Zawadee and The Bam Collective. Last year’s New Talent winner Cindy Mfabe will have her own show.
The seven finalists went through months of intense creativity and hard work to get the opportunity to showcase in the competition.
Now in its 21st year, the competition serves as a springboard for the designers, with those selected as finalists securing several opportunities for long-term growth.
The competition also provides essential funds and mentorship to designers to kick-start their businesses.
The brief for the 2019 New Talent Search is “Shaping the Future of Sustainable Fashion”. Entrants were required to consider 2020 world trends and submit a detailed portfolio of their proposed collection consisting of seven looks.
The SAFW competition has unearthed local designers and taken them to new heights. Most notably, Thebe Magugu who is a New Talent womenswear designer alum, recently won the coveted international LVMH Prize.
Sober and Essie will also be showcasing their designs tonight, while Thabo Makhetha, AfrikanSwiss and Mantsho will round up the first night. Mantsho by Palesa Mokubung has been making waves with her recent collaboration with retail giant H&M.
The opening party on Monday featured the who’s who of the industry. Some of the stand-outs on the red were actress Simphiwe Ngema donning a silver gown with a high slit; new artist Aubrey Qwana who was fashion forward with a bright green two-piece outfit; and Candice Modiselle in a short monochrome number.
Kelly Khumalo matched Wanda Baloyi in black, while Jamali’s Jacqui Carpede went with a pink gown. Fag Hag of the Year Penny Lebyane sparkled in ruby while Relebogile Mabotja went royal in green with a gorgeous face beat.
Khanya Mkangisa had a golden glow on the carpet. Former Mrs South Africa and Survivor SA runner-up Nicole Capper also graced the red carpet. She called her time on the reality show life-changing.
“I am grateful for the lessons I learnt and the people I met. I look back at the island with many fond memories and would go back in a heartbeat,” she said.
SA Fashion Week runs until Saturday and will showcase designs from Gert-Johan Coetzee, Judith Atelier, Erre, Lunar, Keys Fashion, Ephymol, House of Ole and Floyd Avenue and Ntando XV. |