Six talented Fashion and Textiles student designers from the Durban University of Technology have stitched their way to the final stage of the Vodacom Durban July Young Designer Award which took place at the Durban Greyville Racecourse on 12 June 2015.

The six young designers will be vying for the ultimate top prize of the Vodacom Durban July Young Designer Award, presented by the Durban Fashion Fair, and will be announced during the Vodacom Durban July race day.

The Vodacom Durban July Young Designer Award is a huge platform for emerging designers and a stepping-stone into the South African fashion industry.

The six DUT finalists are Alexander James Cox, Carla Ann Gerstmeier, Geina Mongezi, Kimosha Ganas, Simphiwe Ximba and Tracy Mwelase.

The designers showcased their stunning range following this year’s theme: The Captain’s Table.

Lisa Van Der Venter, mother of one of the finalists, Alexander Cox, was ecstatic with her decision to send her son to DUT to study fashion. “DUT was recommended to us as the best place to study fashion and I am so proud of my son for making it into the finals. I did not realise how big a deal this competition was to him until now,” she said proudly.

Renowned Durban designer Haroun Hansrot was blown away by the exceptionally high standard of the designs. “The thought process of each designer was fascinating and they pushed the envelope this year. The different mediums used to up their game were fantastic from the usage of hand paints, screen printing and embroidery. The use of fabrics, mixing and blending of shades and texture also took the standard to another level,” he said.

DUT’s Alexander Cox said his design is based on water mythology and water sea legends. “I hand-drew my design and printed it out which was a long process, but I’m so happy to have been chosen for my hard work which paid off,” he said.

Another jubilant DUT finalist Kimosha Ganas was over the moon to be in the finals. Her design, which she called “Vintage Vacation”, looked at luxury cruise designs from the 1920s which is where she drew her inspiration from. “I also have an underlying theme of nautical. In terms of the headpiece, I basically  used a palm sheet which I cut and pasted. What also inspired me was the upholstery fabric I used in the bodice which reminded me of furniture you see on cruise liners. That fabric kind of inspired the whole design and from there, it just took a life of its own” she said.

The winner of the Vodacom Durban July Young Designer Award will win a trip to the New York Fashion Week – travelling business class on Delta Airlines, receive R10 000 in cash from Gold Circle and Schweppes as well as a smartphone from Vodacom. Second and third placed students will receive R3000 and R2000 respectively.

The 2015 Vodacom Durban July takes place at the Greyville Racecourse on Saturday 4 July. More information on the event can be found at www.vodacomdurbanjuly.co.za.

• Waheeda Peters

Pictured: One of the DUT finalist Alexander James Cox with a model wearing his design.