Now in its second year, the winter fashion spectacular will be held at Museum Africa, in Newtown on 14 and 15 March. The venue was chosen because of its mixture of African and Western heritage. The organisers, Cooper and Associates Public Relations, say that it is the perfect place to show off the talents and versatility of young South African designers.
Given the relatively short winter in the southern hemisphere, the week is run over a limited two days. Two spaces at Museum Africa will be used for the shows, one upstairs and one downstairs.
Designers pencilled in for the first day include Zealous, De Mil, Brendan Sturrock, Guillotine by Lisa Jaffe, Superella by Ella Buter, Tiaan Nagel, Story, Colleen Eitzen, Amanda Laird Cherry, Terrence Bray and Zuloe.
On the second day, designers include Artistic Soul, Irmgard Mkhabela, Aubrey Ramatlala, Lebo Mash, Thando Zamcaka with fabric by Dagama, Rubicon, Mon Moir with jewellery by Urban Africa, Glori, Miss Scarlet, Hermanna Rush, Two with jewellery by Geraldine Fenn, Mistism by Tony Mestre, JJ Schoeman, Ole Ledimo, Brett Goldman Lunar and Clive Rundle.
Karen ter Morshuizen designs Lunar
The event gives local designers a professional environment in which to launch their seasonal ranges to people such as the media, professional buyers, independent retailers, existing and potential private clients.
For the first time the national Department of Arts and Culture Fashion Seminar will form part of the Sanlam SA Fashion Week Autumn/Winter Collections. It will run for four days, from 14 to 17 March. The seminar initiative was introduced in 2005 as part of fashion week's annual Spring/Summer Collections.
The seminar aims to develop the fashion industry and raise debate within the design community. Speakers will be drawn nationally and internationally from a cross-section of relevant fields such as retail, media and research. It will include hands-on craft and practical skills development workshops.
Topics that will be covered include improving business skills, industry insight and creative inspiration from leading experts; open panel discussions with industry specialists and audience participation; and practical workshops teaching an array of interesting and new techniques and skills.
Sponsors include Sanlam and the Department of Arts and Culture.
The shows are open to the public and tickets are available from Ticket Connection or at the Ticket Connection stands at Museum Africa. Entrance to fashion shows is R150 per show. Seminar costs range from R435 to R755, for half-day and full-day respectively.
