Last week Thursday we joined Jo’burgs fashionistas at The Park in Hyde Park for the ELLE Rising Star Design Awards announcement. I’ve always wondered what the platform really did for emerging designers and I read about all their previous winners and what they are currently doing and most of them are doing fairly good in the fashion industry and this includes one of SA’s acclaimed fashion designer, David Tlale who was the first to win the competition when in launched in 2000. I am pro-any platform that allows emerging talent to rise, be discovered and showcase their work, because essentially real talent iningi la e-Mzansi and all of it just needs people who believe in it to nurture it and let it prosper!
Here is what you need to know about the competition…
The ELLE Rising Star competition is the opportunity of a lifetime for a young designer seeking to make a mark in the fashion world in Africa and internationally.
The ELLE and Mr Price collaboration is the biggest prize in African fashion. All finalists for the 2015 Elle Rising Star Design Award in association with MRP will have the opportunity to work in collaboration with MRP to launch their own range. They will also benefit from a mentoring programme, online business coaching with GetSmarter, and receive exposure in ELLE SA magazine, which will assist them in the competitive world of fashion design.
To help the rising stars, MRP contributed R10 000to each of the six finalists for the development of their ranges shown at the ELLE Rising Start Design Award during the AFI’s Fast Track Programme in Sandton. These ranges will also be showcased in ELLE SA fashion story, giving the finalists even greater opportunity to be talent-spotted.
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Here are some of the people we spotted….
Bringing their A-Game with these beautiful ensembles, here is Justine a label designer and her friend Dr Judey
Estelle, Meagan who works for Nine West and Mango and Suzanne who works for Top Shop.
Priscilla a jewellery designer and blogger/product maker Tiisetso.
#FashionSquard Allan, stylist Kennedy and Krishen
#LeatherOverdose on fleek Anny Botha dressed by Bianca – a finalist for the competition, I can’t wait to see her collection because this ensemble right gets a fat 10/10
Nomuzi was there looking elegant in this monochrome ensemble
Beautiful ladies serving legs Matlala and Alice
Ronel and Sheela pulled the super – phly – and – chic effortlessly
We got our drinks and waited for the show to kick off!
I am going to stop posting women in head-wraps the day I get my game on point?, allow bahlali!
The show kicked off with a MRP Collection called ‘’Teen Spirit’’ the pieces were beautiful lace, florals, denim and some pastel hues, totally great for the summer heat. Such a cute ensemble, are you feeling the #TeenSpirit?
The collection will be available exclusively at the MRP Pop Up store in Cape Town – Long Street and online on mrp.com from January 2016.
ELLE SA’s Editor Emilie Gambade gave a short speech about the competition and the 6 – finalists. In her speech she said that design can change life as it is a way to escape ourselves through creativity and visions.
Blunke Jannse Van Rensburg: Showcased an overly dramatic collection in the way she used the fabric, some exaggerated bows and tons of clashing colours.
Dare only if you can, it’s really for the frivolous don’t care type of people and stare because I am totally different than you!
She pushed all the boundaries to no limits at all and if you are the try it all fashion type of girl, she is your designer.
Cara Geach: Had perfect clean lines and shapes with colour palettes of white, grey and black good classics of all times.
She gave a twist to the shift dress by adding the oversized neck. Any takers?
This was a fairly good collection with a lot of ready to wear pieces.
Siyabonga Ntini: Had some sport – lux pieces in minty, mango and white palettes. The designer was inspired by a post – mermaid fictional muse and wants to see his clothing label making waves in street – culture.
Giving you game on pieces…
How cute is the whole ensemble?!
Bianca Messina: Her collection was placed on juxtaposition, with garments in silhouettes and silky flowing fabrics.
Feminine and ohh so classy, the plunging neckline is beautiful. Just what the not – so – shy ladies need!
Vez’íthanga baby is this gorgeous ensemble for the warm JHB evenings
Daisie Joo Grobler: Inspired by her grandmother, this fashion designer combined the work of flowers, knits and embroidery for her collection.
Another shift dress with a twist – look at the arms, knit work.
Knitted shorts, would you try them?
Hamza Guelmouss: this designer pulled all the stops and went super edgy with androgynous aesthetic of unique ready to wear pieces for the non – conforming fashion lover
Stand out from the sameness and adorn what you like…
Hamza definitely ticked all the ‘’fashion defying’’ boxes by going as far as he did with edginess and drawing deeper into ‘individualism’ and ‘non – conformism’. If your fashion game is to walk out and very far away from trends – this is your guy!
And then the winner for the 2015 ELLE Rising Star Award was announced and it was….*are you guessing, is your guess going to be correct?*
Hamza Guelmouss from Rabat – Morocco, ELLE Rising Star Award opened the completion to the entire African continent and received a host of applications from SA, Nigeria, Kenya and Mauritius to name a few.
Spotted at the media lounge Dr Precious Motsepe and SA designer Thula Sindi
Dr Precious Motsepe with footballer Teko Modise who was present throughout the shows
Simplicity mastered, black, white and grey will never disappoint. Timeless classics, bahle oosisi egoli 
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Hamza doing an interview with Joburg TV, I talked to him after about his collections and what inspired him and this is what he said: he is driven by the vision of that are not glamorous but extravagant, pushing boundaries and being unconventional and making fashion that is street – culture and mostly he is about defying the fashion trends and more about creating style because fashion comes and goes but you remain with your style. He then described individualism as knowing who you are, experimenting with style and finding yourself in a cohesive way where your style, the music you listen to and your culture are all in sync with each other!
As a winner Hamza walked away with R30 000 in cash from MRP, a mentorship programme at the MPR head office in Durban and an opportunity to re-design a predetermined range in collaboration with MRP to be sold in selected MRP stores. Hamza will also get a two-week mentorship at ELLE Magazine in Cape Town, under the editorial wing of editor Emilie Gambade. A big congratulations to Hamza, your collection was beautiful, my friend described it as ‘’ahead of his players’’ and I say an international star has been crowned!
Lastly African Fashion International (AFI) also had a quick showcase and the person to walk away with the title of AFI Young Designer of The Year was Nthabiseng Molefe. Halala nontombi!
Thank you Vuma Reputation Management for the invite.
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By Zintle Daraza
@ZDaraza