Ever Wanted A Chance To Work With Famous David Tlale? Now The Chance Is AVAILABLE!

Ever thought of sharing ideas with David Tlale in a three month internship, and showcasing your work at Fashion Week later this year?

Such an opportunity is now available, and one talented designer will see this dream come true at the Gauteng Premier’s Ball. Forming part of the ball that is brought in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, the “Young Fashion Designer Competition” will be open to all designers who reside in Gauteng, no matter where they are from in Mother Africa.

The winner will get a 3-month long internship with David Tlale and a platform to showcase their work at Fashion Week October/November 2015 under the umbrella “The intern by David Tlale”; and cash prizes towards studio equipment.

They will have to submit design storyboards existing garments. These young designers will be chosen from the five metros of the Gauteng province from which 50 young designers will compete to form part of the top 25. From these, the top five finalists will be chosen. These five young finalists will have an opportunity to showcase their work on the night of the gala.

Apart from the chance to showcase their work at the Premiere’s Ball, a five star gala event designed to celebrate the best of South Africa’s contemporary creative heritage, they will also partake in a design marathon where they’ll be required to create five looks within a period of 1 week. These garments will have to be created according to a brief and a specific theme before the night of the gala. The final 3 winners will be announced at the gala event. The best among these will be announced on the night of the Premiere’s Ball. They will receive the following prize.

The Gauteng Premier’s Ball is a celebration of the artistic output that has helped to define our country’s creative heritage since the birth of our democratic dispensation in 1994. The Gauteng Premier’s Ball will showcase, highlight and celebrate the creative energy and heritage of the last 21 years in poetry, music and dance.

This creative vitality of these various art forms will be enjoyed through fashion. The excellence that shaped our contemporary fashion heritage is the golden thread running through the gala celebrations. This is in part because fashion is the one art form that all human’s share across, class, race and creed. Everyone has a need to feel good in the garments they wear.

Skills transfer is central to the aims of the competition. Hence it will be accompanied by a series of workshops for young designers to be held across the Gauteng. These will empower young designers with skills to navigate the intricacies and challenges of establishing and running a successful and competitive fashion brand and business.

“I’m a product of winning competitions,” says David Tlale, “but I had no one to hold my hand to help me and show me the ropes to say this is what you do to establish yourself after winning a competition. I feel I have some insight to share. It’s something I feel very passionate about.”

Says MEC for Sport Arts, Culture and Recreation Ms Molebatsi Bopape: “One of the priorities of the Gauteng Government is promotion of Creative Industries, and fashion design is part of it. Identification of early talent is a gateway to ensuring that young artists are given opportunities to parade their skills and talents.
This is an industry which has always been perceived as a preserve of the elite and we are happy that this will accelerate the necessary transformation thereof.”

The celebrated heritage will be showcased and curated in waves of 5 year terms. The first wave of encompasses the years, 1994 till 1999. The second wave in our creative heritage stretches from 2000 until 2005. The next wave is 2006 till 2010 followed by the wave that ends in 2015.

The last wave will also be a creative projection of what the unfolding future heritage of our country may look like. This is where the imagination is stretched to dream up beauty and excellence out of the riches of what we have all shared in our young democracy.