Six Young Designers Battle it out
Fashion Weeks are supposed to be the breeding ground for the new wave of designers coming through the ranks, as well as the platform where we, the adoring public, get to see young designers mature and move on up through snotty after parties to fame and glory. That’s why it’s great to see initiatives like the ELLE New Talent Awards that actively seek out the hottest young creatives in fashion and give them the support they need to get seen. Six finalists were chosen from a pool of 50, as ELLE magazine in partnership with top fashion value retailer, Mr Price, narrowed the search for this year’s hottest new fashion talent during the ELLE New Talent Awards 2008 first phase of judging.
Marize Malan, Robyn de Klerk, Tanya Demby, Anisa Ami Mpungwe, Stephan Marin and Khumo Mashimane made the cut and will showcase their designs at the 2008 Sanlam South African Fashion Week (SAFW) ELLE New Talent show on 27 August 2008. The final judging takes place on the 26th August. The six finalists will also get an opportunity to exhibit their work during the SAFW which ends on 30 August.
The competition, open to recently qualified designers, exposed some very good talent according to one of the judges, trend analyst, Dion Chang. The designers had to create a women’s wear collection of eight garments for Summer 2008/9 under the theme New Romance. “It was pleasing to see fresh ideas and the different interpretations of romance,” Chang said
The ELLE New Talent Awards 2008 will for the first time this year give the winner an opportunity to be exposed to the full retail cycle through a mentorship programme with Mr Price. “There was a lot of exciting, innovative and creative work coming through and we have no doubt that there is great new design potential in this country,” said Joanne Coelho, Trend Manager for Mr Price, who also judged the awards.
The competition has in past years brought to the fore talented local up-and-coming young design talent in the South Africa fashion industry. Previous winners of ELLE New Talent include: David Tlale, Frances Andrews (Library label) and last year’s winner Tiaan Nagel.
