NEW designers from around Cape Town got a chance to shine during the the AFI Cape Town Fashion Week on Thursday.

About 23 young designers displayed their wares at the Foschini Graduate Show.

But not everybody was pleased because there was not a single black designer.

Foschini spokesperson Dawn Ngwenya blamed the apartheid legacy for blacks' indifference. She said parents discouraged their children from pursuing fashion because they did not see it as a good profession.

"A lot of black and coloured people in this province associate fashion designing with seam stressing, hard work, long hours and small pay. Parents do not understand why their children have to study to make clothes. Therefore there are not enough blacks going to fashion institutions. It is a painful situation that we need to change as fashion houses."

AFI founder Dr Precious Motsepe, said she was deeply hurt by the state of affairs because it was not helping the industry. "We are going to work with the government and the private sector and try address this situation.

"We will run fashion design competitions and we will do fashion career guidance and offer bursaries to kids who want to pursue fashion in the Western Cape."

Heavyweights, including Coppelia, Suzaan Heyns, Good Clothing, Tartand ichelle Ludek, Doreen Southwood and Kluk CGDT also featured mostly straight cuts, cold and simple colours.

Most collections consisted of flowing silk tops and dresses with lots of colour blocking. There were also a few pieces decked out in sequins, which added liveliness.