Tuesday, August 30, 2011

EMPOWERMENT:SA FASHION WEEK WINTER COLLECTIONS 2012

A feast of local fashion is on the cards for Johannesburg in September as SA's premier designer platform, SA Fashion Week, prepares to launch the Winter 2012 Designer Collections, its 20th seasonal showing since inception in 1997, as well as the inaugural SA Fashion Week Designer Capsule Collection with official retail partner, Edgars, a three-year partnership to showcase and promote leading local designers.

The two-week fashion blitz that kicks off on 22 September 2011 will wrap up with the Summer 2011 Designer Pop Up Shop from 30 September – 2 October 2011 in Sandton City's Fountain Court.

The SA Fashion Week Designer Capsule Collection at Edgars is scheduled to go live on 21 September at the Melrose Arch flagship store where it will be a permanent installation of eight to ten designers housed in a specially demarcated 70sqm space.

Six permanent designers - Clive Rundle, Lunar, Colleen Eitzen, Black Coffee, Two and Chanelle will be supplemented by between two or three additional designers which will rotate every month. The ranges will be seasonal and will include accessories and hats.

The SAFW Winter 2012 Collections will include top local designers such as  Amanda Laird Cherry, Clive Rundle, Ephraim Molingoana, Tiaan Nagel, Naked Ape  and Vesselina Pentcheva as well as bright new fashion star, Joel Janse van Vuuren who wowed audiences with his Summer 2011 collection earlier this year.

It will also include the Elle/Mr. Price New Talent Show featuring eight new designers. The Elle/Mr Price New Talent show has become a highlight of the annual fashion calendar and is generally regarded as the fashion industry's finest talent incubator having produced several top designers such as Terrence Bray, Jacques van der Watt, Ella Buter, Tiaan Nagel and David Thlale since its inception fourteen years ago.

The SAFW 2011 student competition sponsored by  Vodacom 4U, which this year tasked  second and final year design students across the country with the challenge of recycling an existing denim garment into a dress, is expected to deliver an equally sparkling burst of creativity as they aim to meet the brief to deliver garments that are high design, contemporary and de-constructed and using printing, crafting or other handwork to "rework" the fabric.

The winners will be announced at the SAFW Pop Up Shop on Saturday 3 September. The winners in all the categories as well as the winning colleges, will receive Apple Mac products. The prize for the winning final year student also includes an internship with a top local designer.

 

Having had a sneak peek at the key trends for  winter 2012, shoppers will be able to stock up on all the hot items for summer from 60 local fashion and accessory designers the following week as the Summer 2011 Designer Pop Up Shop goes live for three days in Sandton City's Fountain Court.

The SA Fashion Week Winter 2012 Designer Collections will be staged at the Crowne Plaza Johannesburg - Rosebank. Tickets are R175 and may be booked directly from www.safashionweek.co.za from 23 August.South African Fashion Week Winter 2012 Collections

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