A dazzling, industry-standard fashion event at the Runway in Woodstock gave final year students the opportunity to present their designs to the fashion industry’s key players.

The Graduate Shows, which took place on 26 November 2008, featured the work of CPUT students, alongside work from the Design Academy of Fashion and the Cape Town College of Fashion Design.

The event was held in partnership with the Cape Town Fashion Council (CTIF) and African Fashion International (AFI) and was sponsored by Prefueled and Mbili.

AFI, who produced the event, is responsible for organising Virgin Mobile Cape Town Fashion Week, one of Africa’s premier fashion gatherings. The organisation gave the students a taste of what they could expect should present their work at such an event by creating a runway environment of professional production standards, including world class lighting, staging and modelling.

The garments themselves highlighted the versatility of Cape Town’s young designers. Playful urban styles and bold metallics alternated with striking monochrome minidresses and graceful evening gowns.

Work by Dominic Murray and by Faye Dowding evoked both contemporary and bygone eras by combining references to the Victorian Age with modern tailoring and materials. Tsidi Matshega’s masked models presented glamorous looks in black, gold and white. Vivid neon embellishments were present in the collections of Michel Johannessen and Masa Martinovic, while Busisiwe Bantshi opted for an earthy palette of rich reds and yellows.

Each student showcased at least five individual looks, which would form the basis of a ‘look book’ (portfolio) that could be used in his or her future career.

The Graduate Shows were conceived by the CTFC Education Sub-committee as an annual event that will streamline the introduction of graduates from fashion and textile related courses into industry. By providing them with a professionally staged fashion show, the graduates gain maximum exposure to key role players and potential employers.

“It will provide a window to what is happening at graduate level in the Western Cape,“ said Bryan Ramkilawan, CPUT Fashion Lecturer and Chairman of the CTFC Education Sub-committee, “and it will set the benchmark for quality and innovation in graduate fashion design.”

The run-up to The Graduate Shows was featured on the SABC3 series African Couture on 29 November 2008. Faye Dowding, who was selected by the event organisers as one of the top five designers, received the opportunity to dress one of SABC 3’s continuity presenters, thereby exposing her designs to an audience of 7 million viewers.

By Ilana Abratt

Photograph: Three of the designs by CPUT third year fashion students featured at The Graduate Shows

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Mr Bryan Ramkilawan, lecturer in the Department of Informatics and Design, was recently elected as a member of the Cape Town Fashion Council.

The Cape Town Fashion Council was born in 2005 when it became necessary to create a body for fashion designers in the Western Cape. The council consists of fashion designers, a clothing or textile manufacturer, a retailer, a media representative, the provincial government as well as Clotex and Wesgro. The Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism has agreed to fund the Council.

The purpose of the council is to grow opportunities for the Western Cape clothing and textile industry nationally and internationally. The Cape Town Fashion Council aims to promote the interests of the fashion industry in the Western Cape and provide buyers with easy access to detailed information about local designers through maintaining a professional presence on the internet.

The Council also liaises with financial investors to build investment schemes to support and finance designers and is focused on skills development of designers’ specifically practical business skills such as exporting products, marketing and negotiating skills.

Mr Ramkilawan studied fashion in Natal and has been working for 13 years. He lectures Creative Design and Computer Studies (Cad) to second year, third year and BTech students.

“This is a nice achievement,” said Mr Ramikilawan. He was nominated by people within the fashion industry who have worked and dealt with him and know his capabilities.

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He was well on his way to becoming a business graduate but a change of heart is paying dividends for this CPUT Fashion Student.

Marquin Sampson has recently been crowned the 2013 Live Eco winner and his prize includes a R10 000 bursary from the Cape Town Fashion Council, R3000 voucher from the Body Shop and a year supply of free coffee from a well-known coffee shop. He also has a guaranteed internship at a design studio for any time next year.

The 24-year-old is in his second year but a few years ago he was studying Business at Stellenbosch University when he decided to drop out and follow his dream.

The competition brief was to up-cycle old clothes into a creation inspired by the theme ‘resilience’.

Marquin interpreted this as a boxing inspired denim dress with matching boots.

He collected jeans donated from family and friends then spent days completing the garments.

“I really worked hard doing research and then creating this look but I never expected to win. I even told my parents not to waste their time coming to the award ceremony because I was sure I wouldn’t win,” he says.

CPUT dominated the competition with a whopping five of the top 10 being our students.

Marquin is now also a runner up in a pending Foschini Fashion Design competition.

“I am so glad that I just quit business to follow my dream,” he says.

“Winning this competition means I made the right decision.”

Written by Lauren Kansley

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Liaises with the media and writes press releases about interesting developments at CPUT.