NELSON Mandela shirt designer Sonwabile Ndamase has been invited to showcase his collection at the Salon International de la Femme (Sifem) Women's International Trade Fair 2012 in Toronto, Canada, from June 17 to 23.

The show pays tribute to women across the world, irrespective of their origin, culture or religion.

Ndamase will be among the 1,500 exhibitors and the more than 500,000 participants.

"I am very excited about this opportunity. It will open a lot of networking opportunities not only for Vukani, but (also) for other designers in South Africa," the veteran fashion designer said.

Sifem is a global event that enables women to share their experiences and build on skills and expertise from all professions.

Ndamase, who designs under the label Vukani, is known for creating cross-cultural designs.

He said he would showcase 25 garments in runway shows and 15 on exhibition stands.

"For me fashion is an expression of art. I see it as my expression of identity combined with desire, moods and cultural setting," he said.

"My collection captures the mystery and pride of Africa. We have used African textures and rich African colours and prints and married them with western cuts.

"The collection is exciting and edgy with a global design vision and with it I intend to show that fashion can certainly add value to the world."

It is not the first time that Ndamase will showcase his talent outside South Africa. He has already showcased in places like Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Mozambique, Zambia, London and the United States.