At the cutting edge of design

Published Oct 2, 2013

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Durban - A feast of all things fashionable will be on the runway this week as South African Fashion Week’s (SAFW) Autumn Winter Collections are shown in Johannesburg from Thursday to Saturday.

Flying the flag for Durban will be Colleen Eitzen, Nishai Sookdhew (BlakListed) and Narainsamy menswear.

The KZN Fashion Council (KZNFC) show is always one to watch and five young designers will be showing on the ramp on Friday: Casey Jeanne, Ludwig Bezuidenhout, Thembeka Vilakazi, Larissa Terblanche and Jacqui Emmanuel Munsami.

Ten have participated in the KZNFC Capacity Building Programme, a collaboration between SAFW and the KZNFC to fast-track retail-ready designers by mentoring them to bridge the gap, and have been selected to show designs on the ramp, and all will be showing their designs in the Buyers’ Lounge at SAFW.

The other five are: Avisha Nandkumar, Claire Mackenzie, Mthunzi Mthembu, Sfiso Sabelo and Sarojini Moodley.

The Renault New Talent Search show opens the five-day event on Thursday and Durban designer Hanrie Lues (her label is Mej Lues) is a finalist.

The winner will get to drive a Renault Megane for a year, participate in SAFW 2014 and attend Berlin Fashion Week next year as a guest of Lufthansa.

Big names taking part in SAFW will be Durban-born Craig Jacobs (Fundudzi), Errol Arendz, Suzaan Heyns, Gert-Johan Coetzee, Albertus Swanepoel, Naked Ape, Rubicon, Isabelle Lotter (Sies! Isabelle), Roman Handt, Skorzch, Palse Homme, Black Coffee, Kottin & Twille, Sober, Two, Loxion Kulca and Ephymol. Another highlight will be the Crowne Plaza sleepwear competition featuring 10 finalists.

The winner, to be named on the final night, will receive a cash prize of R10 000 and have their design displayed at Crowne Plaza Johannesburg – The Rosebank for the duration of SAFW. Motions and Tresemme are the official hair sponsors, with Edgars and Jamieson. See www.safashionweek.co.za

 

Suiting up stylish men

From humble beginnings in Rajab’s Building in Queen (now Denis Hurley) Street to the runways of elite fashion events in South Africa, Narainsamy tailors have come a long way – and this week, their salmon, coral and grey range will be sure to impress at SA Fashion Week in Johannesburg.

Third generation tailors Kuben and Sivan, and father Mike Narainsamy, started work on the 15-piece range on Thursday, the day after the fabric arrived from Italy, and they were quite confident a fabulous range would be out on time for their show – after all, creating stylish jackets, pants and accessories in their factory in Glen Anil is all in a day’s work.

“Our record for making a three-piece suit is 54 minutes and we are hoping to get into the Guinness Book of Records for that,” said Mike, paying tribute to the team in his factory in Glen Anil.

This year Narainsamy tailors made headlines when they made a dashing buttercup yellow suit in 67 minutes for media personality Faradh Patel to wear to the Vodacom Durban July, as a tribute to Nelson Mandela.

They are proud of their quality and speed.

“A man can come in, get measured and go home with a suit a few hours later. Usually, however, there is a 24-hour turnaround time.”

Narainsamy has been a household name in men’s tailoring in Durban for 53 years and the family tailors have learnt their craft from their elders. Mike’s father, Allen, learnt tailoring at a late age. He opened Narainsamy Tailors on the second floor of Rajab’s Building in 1960, making classic suits for Indian gentlemen.

His wife Narama also learnt the craft and they worked hard, says Mike.

At the age of 15 Mike joined the business, also learning from America-trained tailor Eddie Theron and doing a correspondence course with Tailor and Cutter Academy in London.

In 1985, the name changed to Mike’s Tailors to appeal to a broader market and the tailors moved to a ground floor shop in Regal Arcade. Business boomed, they hired more staff and moved to premises in Pine (Monty Naicker) Street in 1995. Parents Allen and Narama retired and Mike decided to take the business to a new level, venturing into the world of fashion and offering a 24-hour service.

Business was brisk as men of all cultures took advantage of the quick turnaround time, walking out with well-fitting suits. As the business grew, factory premises were found in Glen Anil and a year ago, the Narainsamy team decided to close the city store and run everything from Glen Anil.

Today they are a CMT supplying large fashion retailers with jackets, pants and suits. They have orders from churches and clubs and have a contract for a large workwear supplier. They have also branched into tailored women’s wear, supplying retailers.

But one-on-one business with clients is what they enjoy and they will work their magic on all shapes and sizes.

“We do things anatomically so the suit fits exactly,” says Mike.

“A well-made suit can hide all kinds of figure faults.

“People want to look different and not wear garments that are mass imports. Men don’t want to look boring. They want to stand out and make a statement and these days, 70 percent of our clients are African.”

Narainsamy is now a major player on the menswear fashion stage. While most designers at fashion events have had tertiary training in fashion design, Mike says his eye for design is instinctive, honed after years in the business.

“There is no better way to learn a trade than in a factory and I am grateful for the training my sons and I have had.”

* The Narainsamy collection will be shown at SA Fashion Week Autumn Winter Collections on Saturday at 10.30pm. - Linday Ord, Daily News

 

Designer pops with fun, classy and sexy fashions

Pietermaritzburg’s Nishai Sookdhew will show her range, Blakout, from her label BlakListed, at SAFW on Saturday night.

She says it will be a mix of dresses in mini, midi and maxi length in popping bright colours with lots of glitter – and she’s looking forward to having fun with it.

BlakListed, which she describes as fun fashion for women who want to look classy and sexy, is stocked in five stores and her choice of name reflects her quirky take on fashion.

“I like to turn a situation around and fight against odds,” she says.

“The word ‘blacklisted’ is negative – no one wants to be blacklisted. I see my clothing as something positive and that appeals to the masses, so it is a play of words and you would want to be BlakListed.

“I have set certain goals for my brand and I want to look back in the next few years and see the outcome of my hard work and love for fashion.”

After graduating from DUT, she did retail training at the Mr Price Group as a trainee buyer on the graduate programme and at Traffic Clothing for manufacture.

“My mom had a fashion design school and I grew up with fabrics and sewing machines. I always managed to get myself into trouble by cutting my jeans and my dresses to suit me when I was a kid.

“My creative thinking started when I lived in the US and decided that this was the path I needed to follow.”

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