The Durban University of Technology’s Fashion and Textiles student, Georgina Brink (20) credits hardwork and passion for her craft, after clinching the prestigious 2018 Vodacom Durban July Young Designer Award recently.

Brink who is currently doing her second year in Fashion and Textiles, said throughout the competition there was immense pressure, however, she praised her ability to produce quality work under testing conditions.

“I found the competition to be incredibly nerve-wracking and intense. We were faced with the pressure of knowing that this was one of the first times we would be introducing ourselves, through our work, to some incredibly successful and influential South African established designers,” said Brink.

“It was a huge weight on my shoulders, from the first round of judging, to the top 30, and I felt the most pressure to do well after the judging of the top ten batch,” she said.

This year’s theme for the Vodacom Durban July was It is time – a theme which can be interpreted in different ways, depending on a person’s point of view. However, for Brink, this theme signified the arrival of time for a South Africa with no racial and political turmoil.

“In South Africa particularly, we’ve become ambi-cultural and multi-local to many different historical cultures and places. I believe it is important to realize that although we have different pasts, we must learn to celebrate them, and learn from one another to grow together,” she added.

For her design, Brink used her Dutch heritage which she took inspiration from the Delft blue artworks and pottery to create her design which she incorporated with the African proteas and aloes.

During her designing process, Brink also experimented with designing African inspired prints to create the hand dyed front and back bodice panels and says, in the end, she settled for Batik dyeing.

“Batik dyeing is an age-old African and Indian dyeing technique that further supported my concept of celebrating each other’s heritage to create a new identity of what we stand for as South Africans today,” she said.

Brink’s designs are normally different since she has not established a trademark style for her designs. Nevertheless, she highlighted Dior and Valentino as huge fashion houses she looks up to in her fashion career.

“These fashion names stand for utter pride in their craftsmanship. Each of their employees takes such intricate care in ensuring every detail of each garment is made to perfection. It definitely inspired me in making my dress for the Durban Vodacom July, as the fabric for the front bodice was batik dyed (after countless runs of trial and error to get it right), and the other contrast fabric took months to complete as it was all hand painted with oil paints,” said Brink.

When completing her Fashion and Textiles studies, Brink said she would like to expand her knowledge by obtaining another qualification on another field of study- pointing at economics, business, psychology and politics as possible options.

Pictured: DUT Fashion and Textile student, Georgina Brink celebrating winning her Durban July Young Designer Award, presented by Durban Fashion Fair, with her model Nayizolo Simelane at the 2018 Vodacom Durban July on Saturday, 7 July.

Picture: Anthony Grote /Gameplan Media

Sandile Lukhozi