Architect scoops top fashion award

KIRESHEN Chetty is a cut above his peers, whether he’s sketching buildings or styling outfits for the runway.

The Pietermaritzburg-based architect and fashion designer has been shortlisted for the 40 Under 40 Awards Africa, a platform that celebrates rising talent from across the continent.

Already a finalist in the national leg, he’s now building up to go sleeve to sleeve with some of Africa’s brightest young minds in November, one stitch at a time.

Chetty, who has won multiple awards for both architecture and fashion, told the Independent on Saturday he was thrilled to have received the 2025 Fashion Innovator Award at the Durban Fashion Fair (DFF) Recognition Awards last week.

The self-taught designer said this particular win marked a turning point for him.

“I’ve achieved so much, so many accolades over the years, but going to DFF and showcasing with 70 other designers, the cream of the crop from other provinces and countries, made me feel so good because I felt like I was finally part of the group.”

Chetty’s love for fashion started early. As a teen, he would tweak and tailor his own clothes to get the perfect fit. “Eventually I started making things for my sister, a few cousins, and friends,” he said. Even after qualifying and building a career in architecture, fashion remained a creative outlet, something he pursued on the side, simply because he loved it.

He notes that his career paths were influenced by his parents; his father worked in construction, and his mother studied fashion design. 

While Chetty went on to complete a Master’s degree in architecture, he continued to explore fashion on his own terms, eventually breaking into the industry without formal training.

Rather than choosing between the two, he has embraced both.

He says people often think architecture and fashion are completely different, but to him, they’re deeply connected, Both are about design, structure, and how something makes a person feel, whether it’s moving through a building or wearing a garment.

“If you look at a garment, it’s a construction,” he said. “There’s structure, lines, and function, just as you would find in a building. I draw from both worlds constantly. For me, they’re both art forms.”

“So for me, " he said, “I don’t think it’s going to be a case of which one takes preference. I love doing both. I get to express myself in both fields.”

By day, Chetty is a lecturer at UKZN and runs an architectural practice in Hillcrest. At night and on weekends, he designs and creates bespoke fashion pieces.

Despite being self-taught, he’s spent years building his reputation and has been a force to reckon with in both industries.

In 2011, he won the JSE Young Designer of the Year award. But his lack of formal fashion training became a barrier with many in the industry telling him that he couldn’t participate in Fashion Weeks across the country.

Instead, he turned to designing outfits for major horse racing events like the Durban July, where he collected several awards between 2014 and 2018.

He’s since been featured on shows like Top Billing and Espresso. In 2017, his work caught the attention of the KZN Fashion Council, who invited him to show at the DFF as an emerging designer.

Chetty has also had success in architecture, working on projects ranging from churches and apartment blocks to schools, farms, colleges and even prisons. But it’s in residential work that he finds the most creative freedom.

“I think residential is my forte. Because the aesthetic is a lot more pleasing, you get to be a bit more creative, especially with colours, textures and finishes. And it also speaks to fashion because you get to introduce those similar kinds of concepts that you would in a dress or a garment.”