We would love to have stocks in store as from 30 June or sooner. Email

enquiries to  vanessaLC@telkomsa.net or contact 0794524392

Part of this look is the bubbling under trend of “pajama dressing”, which consists of co-ordinated separate statements in silk or satin foulard, geometric and novelty print designs that are quite clearly inspired by bedroom attire. Even the manstyle smoking slipper is finding its way into contemporary daywear. Although in its purist form it seems a tad tricky, when you break it down to its most basic form, this soft dressing look is made up of relaxed pants and roomy button-up blouses, a comfortable combination of items that doesn’t seem that difficult at all, and is a trend that takes AM/PM dressing to a whole new level.

So the new seasonal message is quite clear – be bold and experimental with your choice of both colour and prints. Matchy matchy outfits are no longer a fashion faux par.

Trends post courtesy of Nikki van Diermen (Foschini Fashion Office).

Remuneration: R72 000 P/A

If you have just currently completed your diploma or Btech in fashion design and are inherently brilliant in administration.  Then this post is for you!  We are looking for an entry level administrator to assist with the Clothing Textile Competitiveness Improvement Programme (CTCIP).

CTCIP – Administrator Job Duties

• Carrying out general office administrative duties and maintaining administrative processes for the organisation
• Liaising with service providers
• Liaising with designers
• Maintaining inventories
• Carrying out database administrative duties
• Providing PA duties to the Programme Manager
• Answering of incoming calls

Job Skills

• Organizational and Administration skills must be inherent
• Good organizational skills and excellent interpersonal skills
• Writing and verbal communication skills
• High level of initiative
• The ability to work with a high degree of attention to detail
• Fully computer literate
• A good team player
• Knowledge of the fashion industry

Should you be interested in the above-mentioned position, please forward a detailed CV and covering letter via email to: Tshepo de Villiers at tdevilliers@ctfc.co.za by no later than Thursday 31 May 2012.  For further information on the Cape Town Fashion Council, please visit: www.ctfc.co.za.   Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE CTFC OFFICE.

The CTFC continues to bring you fresh and innovative workshops. To date we’ve offered skills development and information sharing sessions in the form of;

• Learning how to cost garments accurately,
• Establishing the building blocks for business branding,
• How to put presentations together when selling a range to a bigger retailer,
• Establishing the correct use of interlining on various garments and
• How to correctly select the right fabric for end-use suitability.

We’ve received wonderful feedback from you, our members, so please continue to let us know what your thoughts are as ALL feedback we receive is used constructively.

Upcoming workshops for the next three months include;

May

Styling Workshop presented by Cape Town Stylist, Robyn Cooke (16 May 2012 – 09h30-16h30)

Fashion Short Film Workshop presented by Fashion Design School, Elizabeth Galloway (Date to be confirmed for May 2012. The workshop will run over two days from 09h30-16h30)

June

Trend Update Seminar: Spring/Summer 2012/13 presented by Johann Crous, Foschini (Date to be confirmed)

Design Thinking Seminar (Details to be confirmed)

Manufacturing Advanced Technology and Machinery Workshop (Details to be confirmed)

July

Social Media Marketing (Details to be confirmed)

CMT Information Sharing Session (Details to be confirmed)

For more info pertaining to our workshops or to RSVP for any of the workshops please contact Bianca on 021 461 1498, or alternatively mail info@ctfc.co.za.

These newsletter write-ups seem to be creeping up on me faster than I can anticipate. Yes, it’s been a year since my appointment and what an amazing year it has been for the CTFC team.

We are officially the World Design Capital for 2014, now that’s an encouraging endorsement by the international community of our countries creatives. Congrats to the CTWDC team.

This achievement must be deemed as a collective win for South Africa as a country and not just a win for the Mother City.

Cape Town’s winning bid will surly serve as a conduit between the amazing Mzansi creative talent and the international market.

Design Indaba, probably the biggest gathering of designers in the southern hemisphere continued to inspire this year. The CTFC and our designer collective achieved amazing results at the expo. Thanks to all our partners, designers and sponsors – see details in the newsletter. Double high fives to my team, you ladies are awesome, and also to Aidan Bennets for the stand design concept.

I also have to mention the Cape Town Carnival, if you were not on the fanwalk, you missed a fantastic party and the awesome spectacle of carnival. We are definitely growing as a carnival city, so watch out Rio.

That said, I must conclude with natures design ability, Table Mountain. So next time you Capetonians give directions to our visitors in the city, you can include  “are you driving towards or away from one of the 7 natural wonders of the world….”

Enjoy our fashion education themed newsletter.

Next big fashion event in the city is the Mercedes AFI Cape Town Fashion Week. We will post details on our social media platforms.

As always, we encourage your suggestions to us, so that we can collaboratively grow the fashion sector.

Till our next newsletter

Bryan

The Prize giving was held at the CTFC offices during the fashion education subcommittee meeting on 13 April 2012. A BROTHER sewing machine was awarded to both Adelaide Madzimbamuto (student-winner) and Northlink College (school).

This is what Adelaide had to say about WINNING: ‘I was honoured to win the Brother Sewing machine. It came as a surprise. Thank you Friday the 13th surprise.’

What inspired you to study fashion design? ‘I was inspired to study Fashion Design because I had a hard time finding clothes that fit me.’

Why did you choose Northlink as a college of preference to study fashion? ‘I chose Northlink College because I attended their Fashion Show in 2009. I had a WOW moment the minute those models walked out on stage. I was sold. The fees at Northlink were also affordable.’

What year are you in? And How do you plan to use your qualification? E.g. Start your own brand; work for a fashion house? ‘I am currently doing my internship at Northlink College working towards a Diploma. After completing my Diploma I hope to work in the Fashion Industry helping women like myself to make clothes that fit them.’

Will the BROTHER machine you’ve just won have a positive impact on your fashion career?  How so? ‘The Brother Sewing Machine will help me achieve that. The machine has so many Decorative Features that would really help enhance my products.’

The CTFC facilitated and subsidized 10 fashion labels two (2) more than last year at the DI expo 2012 – five (5) established & five (5) emerging were handpicked to be a part of our umbrella stand of 56sqm at Design Indaba 2012.  Our retail space was exclusively designed by Aidan Bennetts Designs and it encompassed an ‘industrial meets fashion retail’ look and feel.

The designers – Amanda Laird Cherry, Coast & Koi, Good Clothing, Lunar, Magents, Ministry4Style, MosewaMosa, Selfi, Silverspoon and Tart – retailed their best spring/summer collections.   They also showcased their Autumn/Winter 2012 collections in daily fashion shows in the Events Arena.

The CTFC team is beaming with delight with the expo outcomes achieved.   Each designer made a contribution of R6840.  The collective achieved R 320 000 in sales, which is double that of 2011.   The CTFC’s contribution toward s this initiative was R 200 000.  Our ROI based on the designer’s collective turnover (which was ploughed back into their businesses) was a remarkable R1.2M.

Our core purpose for participating at Design Indaba trade fair for four (4) consecutive years is to create a platform for both established and emerging designers to retail to current and potential customers as well as establishing connect with local & international buyers/distributors/agents.

The targeted visitors to the CTFC stand included media, fashion buyers, fashion stylists, fashion conscious consumers, designers (fashion, jewellery, furniture etc.) and other design conscious consumers.   In 2012 Design Indaba attracted 40 282 visitors to the expo.

This year a call-out was made to all our designer members in August 2011.  We had a set benchmarking criterion in order to attract the right calibre of designers.

For those designers who are interested in being a part of the CTFC umbrella stand in 2013 – keep an eye out for our designer call-out in August 2012.  We look forward to receiving your applications and eventually working with you towards Design Indaba 2013.

The CTFC Team would like to thank all the organisations that partnered up with us on the Design Indaba 2012 project.  We value and appreciate their support-36 Boutiques,
-Aidan Bennetts Designs
- XANITA
-Kartell (A&I furniture)
-the CPUT Technology Station in Clothing and Textiles and
- BROTHER
-Foschini
-David Green
- Edgebaston Finlayson wine
-The City of Cape Town
-PGWC

.

• Learning how to cost garments accurately,
• Establishing the building blocks for business branding,
• How to put presentations together when selling a range to a bigger retailer,
• Establishing the correct use of interlining on various garments and
• How to correctly select the right fabric for end-use suitability.

We’ve received wonderful feedback from you, our members, so please continue to let us know what your thoughts are as ALL feedback we receive is used constructively.

Upcoming workshops for the next three months include;

May

Styling Workshop presented by Cape Town Stylist, Robyn Cooke (16 May 2012 – 09h30-16h30)

 Fashion Photography Workshop presented by Fashion Design School, Elizabeth Galloway (17&18 May 2012 – 09h30-16h30, for both days)

June

Trend Update Seminar: Spring/Summer 2012/13 presented by Johann Crous, Foschini (Date to be confirmed)

Design Thinking Seminar (Details to be confirmed)

Manufacturing Advanced Technology and Machinery Workshop (Details to be confirmed)

July

Social Media Marketing (Details to be confirmed)

CMT Information Sharing Session (Details to be confirmed)

For more info pertaining to our workshops or to RSVP for any of the workshops please contact Bianca on 021 461 1498, or alternatively mail info@ctfc.co.za.

Andy Warhol, The philosophy of Andy Warhol

The words of Andy Warhol, American 60’s artist, has got new meaning in fashion education.  As educators in higher education we are challenged with new opportunities to prepare students to join the exciting world of fashion.

Opportunities came in various forms and the process of re-curriculation driven by the Council of Higher education is the main contributor. The framework of Higher education in South Africa is changing and universities and private institutions have to re-think the educational offerings that they present to their clients.

Although this is a long and committed process, a more exciting phase of the process is the re-design of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) into the curriculum. After extensive research, the Department of Education published a new guideline for Work Integrated Learning in August 2011.

This document stated that for implementing Work Integrated Learning curricula successfully, there should be a focus on the integration of the theoretical knowledge the education imparts and the practice of the disciplinary learning in the workplace. It is at this point where the participation of industry with higher educational institutions become crucial. The successful design of learning activities in a design programme requires the integration of workplace relevance and skills.

Successful Work Integrated Learning necessitates the student to be placed in an authentic professional context as a learning environment. During this time it is important that students engage in meaningful and consequential activities. This process is not a one-sided situation. After such placement students are encouraged with interpreting and reflecting on the experience and discovering how to transfer knowledge from the academic to the workplace context. The transfer of knowledge in this way sits at the heart of successful Work Integrated Learning.

Contributions of industry is further encouraged as the new Work Integrated Learning framework identified four new modalities of Work Integrated Learning, that could be included into the fashion curricula. The four main modalities are: work-directed theoretical learning, problem based learning, project based learning and workplace learning.

For the implementation of these modalities higher educational institutions offering Fashion Design rely on the involvement of industry not only for placing students at their workplace, but also contributing with possible research and learning projects and problems. By approaching a fashion design department or school with possible projects and problems both the industry and the students can benefit. Students have the ability to offer a vast amount of creative ideas in a short span of time and are a source of boundless inventiveness.

Through the implementation of the new modalities of Work Integrated Learning into the Fashion curricula and the progressive collaboration between industry and fashion schools the Fashion industry can bourgeon.

Annadene Vlok – CPUT

So, you’re fifteen and you’ve already been termed an aspiring designer, when did you first know that fashion was your passion?

Who was your creative inspiration growing up? That’s a tough question because I am still busy growing up. I don’t think it was one specific person or thing that inspires me but rather multiple things and people. It is a mixture of REALLY amazing parents and grandparents who always encouraged me to following my dreams and achieve whatever I want, Really good drama and art teachers and a really strong group of friends.

Do you see yourself having a career in Fashion in future, and if not which direction do you see yourself going? Yes.

Which SA fashion designers have been important points of reference for you? I don’t really know of many SA fashion designers but my biggest point of reference internationally is Alexander McQueen. Locally I would have to say Gert Johan Coetzee just because of his story and what he has been able to achieve and still is achieving, given his circumstances.

If you had the opportunity to design an outfit for one person who would it be? Lady Gaga.

What was your biggest fashion faux pa? My biggest fashion mistake was thinking that the extremely high fashion designs I have in my head is what people want to wear. I have come to realise that the everyday person is a lot more conservative and prefers fashionable items rather than high fashion items.

What is your favourite item in your closet? My double breasted winter coat.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years? If everything goes to plan I hope to get into design indaba in the next 2 years because I would have been retailing for the given amount of time by then, Get into cape Town fashion week, and get into an international fashion week. I also see myself studying at CPUT for the 3 year course and then doing a post grad in fashion at Parsons school of design in New York. I also see my clothing line ‘Edge By Brandon Berg’ being a lot more respected and sort after.