Pulane Monakale, Caitlin Hoogervorst, Kimberley Lombard, Tasneem Williams, Kerri Prins, Sabrina Linder, Frances Buchner, Sheila Bakker, Elaine Nel and Mzwandile Jacobs, having already received a a digital sewing machine valued at over R4400 each, sponsored by Brother, now compete for the six finalist positions.
Their exhibition outfits will be featured on the company's dedicated competition website, along with a personal bio on each semi-finalist. In addition, a dedicated Foschini Fashion Design Awards stand at Design Indaba will showcase the 10 exhibition outfits and encourage the public to vote for their favourite, giving semi-finalists further invaluable exposure to the design industry. While the judging panel will have the final say in who proceeds to the finals, public voting will count for a certain percentage of the final vote.
The six finalists will receive a detailed brief along with a budget for the final phase of the competition. These garments will be included under the finalists' profile on the dedicated competition website. The garments will also be displayed in a roaming pop-up display that will be exhibited at Foschini head office, TFG (The Foschini Group) Design Centre offices, as well as at selected stores to allow maximum exposure for the successful designers. The three winners will then be announced at the prize-giving event in Cape Town at the end of May 2013.
The three winners will be flown to Cape Town and accommodated for the duration of their internship, if not from Cape Town. The internship will include the design of a capsule collection, which will be sold in selected stores nationwide. Winners will also get to spend the day on the set of the shoot of their winning collection, exposure to the entire retail production process and spend time with the marketing and merchandise departments, ensuring they get exposure to every facet of the industry.
The capsule collection created during the internship will be sold in selected stores nationwide.
"The intent of the initiative to mentor and teach the commercialisation of brands will help designers gain that fundamental commercial outlook to business. This pipeline mentorship program is a vital intervention which might be lacking in their formal academic year," said Bryan Ramkilawan, CEO of the Cape Town Fashion Council, when asked what he thought about the initiative.
Celebrated South African designer, Stiaan Louw and fashion director from Cosmo magazine, Robynne Kahn, joined Bryan Ramkilawan, Karen Brumfield, Janet Norman, Johann Crous and Tania Rossouw as they determined who had the talent to go through to the next phase of the competition. "It is an incredible privilege to have a hand in launching the careers of three talented creatives," says Stiaan Louw.
