Young designers set sights on Milan

NINE local fashion designers are jetting off to Milan to be part of a two-month international fashion internship at SAE Comunicazione Integrata in Milan, Italy. The names of the successful designers were announced at the recent fashion development breakfast at Coastlands on the Ridge Hotel. They jet off to Italy in February 2014.

Deputy Mayor Nomvuzo Shabalala congratulated the selected designers and said, “This is part of the Municipality’s bid to revive and boost the fashion industry and the results have started showing as we now have success stories from the previous groups who attended the course.” Shabalala said one of the fashion designers who attended the course in 2011, Kujula Mntambo of Gravity Designs, had now opened a store at uShaka Marine and was about to open another at Galleria Mall. He had managed to open employment opportunities for six people.

“It is stories like these that we want to hear because the reason we are funding this programme is to show the youth that we believe in their talent. We want them to grow and have their own businesses that will contribute to our economy, create jobs and tackle poverty,” she added.

She urged the new group going to Milan to use the opportunity wisely, build networks and learn unique trends. She said fashion was more than just clothes and glamour, but was about business.

Programme Manager, Sindi Shangase said the two months internship included various training that would assist the young designers to run successful fashion businesses. They will also get a chance to visit fashion shows and fashion fairs to study international market trends.

“They will also be offered two weeks practical experience where they will be placed in different fashion houses based in Milan. This will help in our vision of seeing Durban as an international capital in the next five years,” added Shangase.

The designers who will be heading for Italy are: Sibu Msimang, Jacqui Emmanuel, Sanele Cele, Thembeka Vilakazi, Nkululeko Njapha, Kayleigh Savings, Bianca Warren, Buhle Zulu, and Zama Mathe. Sibu Msimang, one of the selected designers said, “I have been waiting for this opportunity for a very long time, thank you so much to the Municipality for affording us an opportunity of becoming more creative”.