The public and judges were left in awe of the spectacular fashion showcased by local emerging fashion designers at the Hollywoodbets Durban July Young Designer Award semifinals showcase and Durban Fashion Fair (DFF) Rising Stars’ collection exclusive preview.

The fashion extravaganza was held on 15 June at Gateway Mall.

The preview aimed to showcasing local talent to potential buyers. This was done as a build-up to the much-anticipated Hollywoodbets Durban July taking place on 2 July at the Hollywoodbets Greyville Racecourse where the designers’ creations will be showcased to industry players.

Remaining are 10 finalists cut down from 25 participants who were chosen from 110 entries. The Young Designer Award’s final leg of the competition takes place on race day. The final 10 includes students from the Durban University of Technology, Fezile Fashion Skills Academy, Lindiwe Khuzwayo Academy of Fashion Design, to name a few.

One of the judges, Karen Monk Klijnstra, said they had a tough task shortlisting the 10 best outfits given the depth and quality showcased. "We were looking for ingenuity, people who challenged themselves, and something that was unique."

She added that they saw a lot of thought, planning and research this year.
 
The Young Designer initiative aims to unearth new talent, launch promising designers’ careers and promote skills development. The winner will receive R50 000, second place will take home R30 000 and R20 00 for the third place. 
Meanwhile, the crowd cheered and praised the high standard of local talent during the DFF Rising Stars showcase. The platform aims to provide an invaluable boost to designers’ careers and fashion businesses.

The Hollywoodbets Foundation has committed R250 000 to support the nine participating emerging designers’ careers. 
Hollywoodbets Group Transformation Manager Babongile Mkhize said this investment is part of their enterprise social development programme.

EThekwini Mayor Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda said: “When we initiated and invested in the Fashion Development Programme, the vision was to encourage self-employment which translates to job creation for others. We appreciate the Hollywoodbets partnership, pledge and working commitment as it accelerates our vision.”