Local designer shows talent in African fashion contest |01 April 2011
The event, which took place from March 16-18, showcased talents from African countries including Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Mauritius and Madagascar.
They presented costumes showing the culture of their country with a modern trend, along with accessories.
Mrs Houareau presented a collection of eight tropical costumes under the theme Melting Pot of Cultures. All her material was printed by Sunstroke and featured the seascape of Seychelles; the accessories were sponsored by G&M.
She had men’s clothes including shorts and shirts, as well as six women’s outfits – skirts, dresses, blouses and tops.
She said the show was a memorable experience, though most of the designers had only one week to prepare for it.
“The event was a chance for all designers to see each other’s creativity and how we merged our culture with that modern touch,” she said.
Though she specialises in wedding clothes and is the owner of the Wedding House shop in Orion Mall, Mrs Houareau said she gained much extra experience from the event.
The young designers also received advice from the fashion industry and textile professionals on how to better market their clothes.
For example, they learned about the importance of having a website, even if only to market one piece of clothing, and how trade shows are better than fashion shows if they want to take their products abroad.
This was the first time a Seychellois designer has had the chance to feature in such an international contest.
During the event, the Origin Fibre to Fashion Africa 2011 trophy was awarded to Fikirte Addis, a design professional from Ethiopia, who will attend the New York Fashion Week in June.
The MCB Student Award, for non-professionals, went to Nima Rawah, who is studying fashion design at the Design and Fashion Institute in Mauritius.
The jury was composed of four professionals from the fashion and textile industries – Chad Schofield, Caroline Sack Kendem, Jack Kipling and Karalynn Sprouse.
They judged the collections based on criteria such as creativity in design and use of material. The audience included buyers from the United States, Europe and South Africa.
The collections were presented by modelling agency Heat against a background of African music.
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By Jean Ladouceur