Going the extra ‘creative’ mile was the aim of the 15 Fashion and Textile students who showcased their chic, colourful and futuristic designs at an exhibition held at Durban University of Technology’s (DUT’s) Brickfield Campus recently.

The students armed with sheer passion, practical fashion knowledge from their supervisors and a taste for success; created innovative, ready-to-wear designs to showcase at the exhibition which forms part of their annual practical component development for their Btech course.

Btech’s Practical coordinator of the exhibition, Lee Scott along with lecturers Wendy Feather, Sunthra Moodley, Minette Coetzee, Tando Mbanga and Farida Kadwa, were instrumental in supervising the theoretical component for the students as well as for developing their ideas for the practical component of the studies.

Scott has been involved with supervising Btech practical output since 2011. In 2012, she decided that the Btechs needed to show their work in a public space and organised the year end display at the DUT Art Gallery. The exhibition was well received by the public and since then she has become more involved with the Btechs to the extent that she is now the overall advisor and practical facilitator of the Btechs.

“I think the standard of work is high because firstly, students have had a thorough three years prior to the Btech with training which is up to industry standards. Secondly, the students are highly creative young people that are passionate about what they are doing and are keen to show and explore how they envisage their futures.

Thirdly, it is the excellent and hard working staff in the department, staff who are always willing to advise students that maintain our standards,” said Scott.

A diverse range of topics were covered by the Btech students this year. Kylie Stott focused on circus metamorphism and the development of extreme movement costumes for the South African performer. Lauren Jansen explored how the styling of second hand clothing would affect the shopping patterns on women in Durban. Benazeer Mulla’s topic was on cultural hybridisation which highlighted consumers and technology.

Fezile Mdletshe tackled the topic of whether local South African celebrities inspired the dress style of young females with special reference to Durban metropolitan. Minazana Nkondlo investigated the topic of catering to the ‘fast fashion’ needs of the Durban female. Kelby Jane Holmes gave insight to the exploration and creation of a fashion film for a Durban based fashion retail brand. Elishah Eswardutt’s exhibition showcased the art of costuming as an actor’s ally in Durban Theatre. Demi McDonald tackled the issue on waste. Exploring the clothing needs of extrovert gay males for the work environment was Keegan Anderson’s topic. Sinead Stockton highlighted the historical era with regards to historical garment construction techniques to a contemporary subculture for costume design in film. Kendall Cocking’s topic was on online versus offline and if international online fashion sales have more reason to prosper than local offline sales. Brooke Warwick tackled the possibility of reusable bridal wear. Sthandiwe Khumalo focused on the prestige shopper. Last but not least, one of the highlights of the exhibition was an exhibition by Kiara Gounder. Her topic on 3D Printing Revolution focused on the impact of innovative technologies on fashion in South Africa. Her practical component which supported her theory was exceptionally displayed, with photographic images showing how 3D design is created. She also made up garments to which 3D printed embellishments were attached or used for ornamental purposes. The study allowed her to expose the capabilities of 3D printing in fashion.

Gounder was also the recipient of a national research funding (NRF) scholarship, providing her with an opportunity of experimenting with the technology, which is still in an infancy stage in South Africa. She utilised the funding in every aspect of her study including; the printing of her thesis, 3D printing her designs, travel costs, fabric and trims, art supplies and the compilation of her final exhibition. When Gounder was asked about her unique exhibition she said she developed an interest in 3D printing technology during her first year at DUT.

“Dutch Designer Iris van Herpen’s 2011 3D printed collection has just debuted at Paris fashion week. I was fascinated by the capabilities of 3D printing and the way van Herpen applied the technology to fashion. Since then, I was determined to stay up-to-date with the technology’s progress within the fashion industry. 3D printing technology has been breaking new grounds in the international fashion industry, but remains relatively unknown within South Africa. I used my Btech study as an opportunity to explore my own curiosity about 3D printing technology and to introduce the concept of 3D printed fashion on a local platform. My aim is to motivate more South African fashion designers and students to incorporate innovative technologies into their design practice,” she said excitedly.

She also said 3D printing technology was a form of additive manufacturing, which means that the technology only used the required amount of raw materials thereby effectively reducing product wastage. “There are obviously negatives that are associated with the technology, but the same can be said for any form of product manufacturing. Nevertheless, the forthcoming years will be a very exciting time for fashion and innovative technological advancement,” she said.

Gounder had worked on this concept throughout the year and said she was fortunate to have met and built relationships with individuals within the South African 3D printing industry who helped and guided her through my design development stage. For Gounder studying at DUT has been fruitful as it has a great calibre of lecturers really equipping students with the knowledge and skills that are required in order to ‘survive’ in the fashion industry. The techno-savvy designer hopes to gain more industry experience next year 2015. She added that her ultimate dream would be to work for one of the major fashion publications such as Vogue, W Magazine or ELLE.

-Waheeda Peters

Pictured: Kiara Gounder with her assembled white neckpiece.