Grayson Smith scored the Roy Holmes Award for Best Menswear at the 2015 DUT Annual Fashion Show finale on Friday last week (2 October 2015).
Held at the University’s Fred Crookes Sports Centre, DUT Steve Biko Campus, the finale saw the top 20 best garments being showcased on the runaway.
The fashion show began on Wednesday, 30 September 2015, and 38 students battled it out for the top six winning categories, namely: Special Recognition Award, Most Innovative Range, Most Commercial Range, Best Menswear/Roy Holmes Award, Best Range on Show and Best Technical Student.
The Roy Holmes Award for Best Menswear goes to a person who created a collection that best represented the Holmes Brothers brand. The Holmes Brothers brand has successfully participated in SA Fashion Week over a number of years and has been featured in Drapers Record London, Elle US edition, Nylon USA and Collezioni Sport and Street Europe. The brand is essentially a young men’s and ladies’ fashion collection of products and accessories. Best known for their t-shirts which take a quirky look at SA culture, the brand has a young fashion flavour that represents the multi-cultural demographic of our nation to the core.
Smith’s range had seven garments in total and, according to the aspirant designer, is a description of him. “The inspiration behind my range is a reflection of who I am: a Durbanite who loves Durban street culture and South Africa,” he said.
Smith wanted his range to show the ever changing Durban street culture and music scene. “I wanted to create something I would wear without a doubt, something that would reflect the ever changing Grayson. It was all about love, fun and the beautiful streets of Durban filled with music,” said Smith.
Smith was thrilled to win the award, saying that he hopes to collaborate with other SA creatives in the fashion industry. Smith also aspires to do a look book of the past range and will soon start working on his summer range.
– Noxolo Memela
Pictured: Grayson Smith with models showcasing his Roy Holmes Best Menswear range at the 2015 DUT fashion show.
