The top
10 finalists of the AFI Fastrack™ programme have been announced, all of whom
will showcase their designs on the final day of one the country’s foremost
sartorial events, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Joburg (MBFWJ), at Sandton
Convention Centre on Saturday, 22nd March.
Now in its fourth
year, AFI Fastrack™ is a national fashion design acceleration platform
that aims to nurture and develop South Africa’s young design talent, offering
young designers an opportunity to launch their careers through intensive
mentorship and achieve future success through business development coaching.
“This
year’s 10 AFI Fastrack™ finalists are testament to the fact that the design
talent coming out of South Africa is of the highest calibre. African Fashion
International (AFI) is proud to provide a platform for these young designers to
make themselves known and acquires the crucial skills for sustainability in the
industry,” says AFI Spokesperson, Nicholas Maweni.
In a stringent selection process, judges looked at graduate ranges from participating design
institutions around the country to identify the 10 finalists – Rich Mnisi, Ditiro Mashingo, Ellen Kondowe and Tuelo
Ngunyuka from Gauteng; Fabian Ah-Sing, Jessica Ross, Robynn Deedat and Naazeen
Kagee from the Western Cape; Benazeer Mulla from Kwa-Zulu Natal; and Ruth Mc
Naughton from the Eastern Cape. These young designers were selected based on
the excellent presentation, awareness of contemporary design trends,
consideration of necessary details and trims, visual appeal, and technical consideration
evidenced in their ranges.
On
Saturday, 22nd March, during the AFI Fastrack™ showcase at MBFWJ,
each of the finalists will face the challenge of standing out from their peers
by demonstrating originality and visionary potential to the esteemed panel of
judges.
At the end
of the showcase, three winners will be announced, with each receiving a
substantial cash prize from AFI and an internship in the studio of an established
fashion designer as well as an opportunity to launch a capsule collection at Mercedes-Benz
Fashion Week Africa 2014.
All AFI Fastrack™ finalists will also attend the AFI FashionTalks seminars, to be held during MBFWJ,
where industry giants will impart valuable knowledge about distribution,
technological innovation and how
they established their own
brands.
“We at
AFI are pleased to partner once again with Mercedes-Benz South Africa and Gauteng
Growth and Development Agency (GGDA), whose purpose is to grow the economy by
positioning Gauteng as a Globally Competitive City Region,” adds Maweni.
Many
former finalists – such as 2012 winner, Kim Gush and 2013 finalists, Khothatso Tsotetsi (KL Tsotetsi), Angie Masike and Jenevieve Lyons – have gone on to establish their own successful labels and
have made significant inroads on the local design world. 2013 AFI Young Designer of the Year, Eleni Labrou,
along with her label Akedo, for
instance, has not only hit the runway but featured in numerous, high-end,
glossy fashion magazines.
Mercedes
Benz Fashion Week Joburg, the country’s leading winter/autumn collection fashion
event, runs at the Sandton Convention Centre from 20th – 22nd
March.
.JPG)
.JPG)
