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Fashion honours Fassler - veteran and rising star win awards

SPORTS LUXE: Rich Mnisi's design
SPORTS LUXE: Rich Mnisi's design

MARIANNE Fassler hasn't had time to pop a bottle of champagne after her win as designer of the year at the Africa Fashion Awards.

The enduring matriarch of South African fashion stands tall and her accolade is somewhat overdue considering how her label has grown and exported the African aesthetic overseas.

In fact, as we chat about her win, Fassler tells me it's a regular working day at the office chasing deadlines and hoping for no power outages that would hinder productivity. She is preparing to leave for Europe today to deliver some orders.

"We are not drinking champagne after the fashion show because we have orders to process. Hopefully when I return I will find flowers," she jokes.

She says only friends and fans who follow her on Twitter were aware of her big win.

"I won't let it go to my head," she says. "But it's certainly great to have recognition and validation for the team to know that they work in an awarded environment."

Her vibrant collection was an explosion of colour, patterns and prints.

"Our show was generally well received," she reflects.

Fassler believes that even after 20 years she wouldn't rest on the proverbial laurels.

"My clients pay good money, I wouldn't let them down. We have a very defined brand DNA and all our manufacturing is in South Africa. Although one feels like giving up because of the negativity, but I like to project the beautiful potential that is South Africa. I have been unwavering in that and set my own standards."

She explains what is appealing to her customers. "It's very much an exclusive collection. It's one on one with our defined retail strategy. My clients would not go to shopping malls. I'm unashamedly South African with a global following."

While Fassler is one of the pioneers of local fashion, it took Rich Mnisi just six months in the game to claim his first major fashion accolade.

The 22-year-old fashion designer was the toast of the night at Africa Fashion Awards as the winner of the AFI Fastrack young designer of the year on Sunday.

His sensational rise in fashion circles comes after his graduation from Lisof in May and establishing his label, Oath. He was crowned the hottest new talent at the awards ceremony.

Although he knew that he wanted to go into fashion in high school and studied at Lisof, Mnisi says doubt crept in until he entered Fastrack and presented his graduation collection.

His winning collection is influenced by scenes from the Johnny Depp horror film Dark Shadows which he says he found to be quirky, fun and light.

The garments have geometric Vlisco prints. Accessories were sporting items such as a skateboard, boxing gloves, gym gloves, trainers and animal-skin clutch bags, and his models ran on the ramp to engender a sporty feel.

Mnisi, who interned at Egality concept store in Parkhurst, north of Johannesburg, says he didn't set out to create a sports luxe collection though.

"When everything came together, along with the styling, it became what I call street sports luxe

He has been heaped with praise by new admirers who applaud his strong aesthetic.

Describing his fashion philosophy, Mnisi says he likes to distance himself.

"I try to remove myself so that I look at it from an outsider's point of view. I do what I think people would want. I'm not precious with my work."

Mnisi now looks forward to the Fashion Week circuit of 2015.

"I'm already designing my next collection in my head. I'm excited about the possibilities of next year."

He believes that rejection and criticism are the best things to happen to a designer because "you grow from them and [it] makes you better".

 

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