Durban — Some of the finest designs from across the African continent were showcased during a week filled with glitz and glamour at the 13th Durban Fashion Fair (DFF).
The 13th instalment of the Durban Fashion Fair, themed “Coming of Age”, began on September 18 and concluded on September 20.
Following the conclusion of the fair, model Philile Sindisiwe Moloi said the experience was amazing and left her in awe. She said she enjoyed the whole process from rehearsals to fittings to show days.
Moloi said she loved everything about the experience, from production, to uplifting and grooming girls and guys to do what they love and also giving up-and-coming designers a platform to showcase their skills.
Moloi shared that she had modelled for the likes of Nkosazane by Mandi, 8th Wanda, Libo creations, EYC COUTURE, SM Creations, and Mita-N-Dzyn.
“The Coming of Age theme to me gives an image of a beautiful flower in bloom, a butterfly's first time coming out of its cocoon. This signifies that point in a person’s life where they are at their pinnacle. A very significant stage of your life which can shape who you are as a person,” Moloi said.
She concluded that after the fair she wants to prove that it’s never too late to chase after your dreams and stay classy and beautiful while doing it.
The owner of Mixpelo Closet, Thapelo Ntoko, said the DFF was her first show following her recent completion of the City’s fashion development programme. Ntoko said she was grateful to be a part of the DFF and for the opportunity.
“My designs combined futurism and neon colours. That’s how I understood the Coming of Age theme. It also focuses on how fashion has been developed and that fashion is an artful expression,” Ntoko said.
She said her design journey started when she was 11, when she used to help with her grandmother’s sewing. She concluded by saying that she wants to grow the brand and hopefully grow it nationally.
Fashion specialist and judge Greg Wallis said this year’s presentations by the designers did not meet his expectations, but exceeded them by far. He said it’s not whether one wins or loses, but rather how one plays the game.
“Of course, there is always room for improvement, and once worked on at the outset, it will make a big difference. Having a passion for fashion is simply not enough. Hard work, commitment, dedication and integrity will be the cornerstones,” he said.
Wallis said creativity and patience also played their part, but one should also never ever give up.
Edgars’ senior buyer, Trevor Ntombela, said he was impressed with the designs on display and that, along with their initiative, they take some of the designers from the fair that align with their customer base and put them across their five major stores across the country.
Ntombela added: “This year, the menswear has impressed me because usually ladieswear takes all the credit due to creativity, and I have a few items that I have an eye on.”
The City’s economic development and planning committee chairperson, Thembo Ntuli, congratulated all fashion designers who grabbed the opportunity to further expose their work with both hands and the mentees who officially introduced their brands.
“The Durban Fashion Fair is one of the programmes we have identified that drives self-employment and contributes immensely to job creation, hence we will continue to support this programme fully.
“This showcase attracts designers across Africa. This year we had designers from Namibia. Last year we had designers from Freetown, Sierra Leone, which is a clear indication that our programme is gaining momentum,” he said.
Ntuli added that the new designers were trained for nine months under the City’s fashion development programme and launched during this showcase, which stunned the audience and potential buyers with their quality collections.
Ntuli said that they would like to see more up-and-coming fashion designers benefiting from the City’s programme and being mentored to become household names so that more jobs would be created.
He concluded that the designers who excelled in various categories would be announced during the annual Durban Fashion Fair Recognition Awards on September 27.
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