Chanel Letschert scooped the Most Commercial Range award, walking away with a R5000 cash prize as part of her award during Friday’s (September, 05, 2013) DUT annual Fashion Show 2013 finale which saw 21 aspirant designers battle it out for the top five winning categories.
Letschert’s range featured simple designs which incorporated animal prints and lots of “bling”. She said her range was a reflection of what she likes to wear. “I love glits and glamour. My range is what I like and like to wear. I was going for a Miami or Ibiza feel when I was designing it (my range),” said Letschert. Her theme song was a club remix of Robin Thicke’s controversial Blurred Lines which complimented the range’s look and feel.
Letschert however did not expect her range to be voted among the best. Ironically, she does not enjoy sewing and as a result had a tough time while putting her range together. “I was never the best sewer. I have an eye for fashion but I don’t enjoy sewing. In future, I’ll keep to being a (fashion) buyer,” she said.
Letschert, who “only wanted to make it to the top 21” was nonetheless excited to win. She plans to save her cash prize until she knows how to spend it. “I’d like to thank my friends and family for all their support,” she said.
The Fashion Show was held nightly over three days (Wednesday, October 02 to Friday October 05, 2013) at the Fred Crookes Sports Centre, DUT Steve Biko Campus. A total of 37 third-year Fashion and Textiles students showcased their designs.
This year’s show was themed i-aesthete, a theme designed to get designers to look at their aesthetic to question their idea or appreciation of beauty. The theme was also a play on the digital age we live in and how we receive and process information, and in turn how this affects our aesthetic eye or I.
An experienced judging panel- the Holmes Brothers, a Durban design duo; Sindi Shangase, eThekwini Municipality Business Support Programme Manager who is also in charge of the Durban Fashion Fair; Bianca Warren, DUT graduate who owns two fashion boutiques in Umhlanga and Greg Wallac, DUT graduate and fashion industry expert who supplies many SA fashion chain stores and has been a finalist in the Anglo American Mentor of the Year award for several years- faced a tough time as they decided which of the 37 aspirant designers would make it to the top five.
The top five winning categories were Most Innovative Range, Most Commercial Range, Best Menswear Range, Best Range on Show and Best Technical Student.
– Sinegugu Ndlovu
Pictured: Chanel Letschert (fifth from right), the DUT third-year Fashion and Textiles Department student who walked away with the Most Commercial Range award during this year’s DUT Fashion Show 2013. The finale was held on Friday (September, 05, 2013) at the Fred Crookes Sports Centre, DUT Steve Biko Campus.
