The Durban University of Technology took centre stage as one of its students won the 2012 Vodacom Durban July Young Designer Award.
Third year fashion and textiles student Tammy Sturrock (22) is the proud winner of this prestigious fashion award, announced a day prior to the recent Vodacom Durban July horse race.
Her reinvention of the submissive 50s woman fused with the theme of the competition (A Material World) gave the design a “fresh and classic yet practical image” which captivated the judges. She used 100% cotton embroidery anglaise as her main focus and added prints, subtle shoulder pads, 100% cotton voile and bamboo fabric for style and detail.
“Tammy Sturrock won because her design was clever, elegant and perfectly styled,” said Fashion Co-ordinator Tiffany Prior.
Meena Bagwandin, Sturrock’s third year lecturer, echoed Tiffany Prior’s words. “She [Sturrock] understood the brief and executed it very well. Her interpretation was brilliant- she even printed her own garment. Her technical ability was very good from start to finish,” Bagwandin said.
The ecstatic designer won amazing prizes which include a trip to London as well as spending money to the value of R15 000, makeup hampers, a Guess handbag and a Blackberry curve handset.
Entering the Young Designer competition was inevitable as this is a compulsory project for all third-year students of the Fashion and Textiles Department, Sturrock said. Students create garments in adherence to the competition brief and these are prejudged by their lecturers. The best designs are then entered into the main competition. All this motivation from lecturers is what Sturrock attributes to DUT having had nine of its students in the top ten.
For a person who had never entered a competition in her life, Sturrock is humbled by her victory and says the experience gained is invaluable. She counts working with fashion stalwart Terrence Bray for 3 weeks as the highlight of her career. “It was an extreme eye opener, as I started to realise how intricate and precise garment construction really is,” Sturrock said. This inspired her to create classic garments instead of rushing the process.
With success comes a lot of responsibility, but the young designer is fully aware of this. Sturrock is a firm believer of the common saying that “you are only as good as your last work” and as such, she is prepared to work extra hard to stay relevant in the fashion industry. “As my name has been heard, to create something that might look like a mess could throw my name away very quickly,”. she said.
The future looks vivid for this Durban-born designer. Terrence Bray has offered her an opportunity to work for him next year whilst she completes her BTech. “I would like to create my own label or do amazing work with my brother, Brendan Sturrock, who is also a DUT graduate,” Sturrock added.
— Nomvula Sikakane and Naledi Hlefane
Caption:
Pic 1: Up and coming designer Tammy Sturrock (right) stands proud after being crowned Durban’s young designer of the year.
Pic 2: Photo by Jeandre Venter.
