Ubuntu International Fashion Showcase September 2011

Sept. 10, 2011 - PRLog -- Scheduled to show at the Vauxhall Fashion Scout on Monday September 19, 2011, this debut for the three South African designers is intended as the start of three year programme aimed at nurturing and promoting South African talent on the international stage.

These three designers will represent a “South African Fashion Collective that showcases and identifies a unique Pan South African design signature that is in creative process, translatable in an International fashion market” says Theo Omambala of Ubuntu. “An aesthetic that is not geographically confined but can be African and Eurocentric at the same time.” according to Errol Hendrickse “The London Fashion Week showcase and Pre- visual designer presentation at the South African High Commission on the 16 September 2011, “is geared towards introducing and promoting this aesthetic to the Press, Fashion Industry Movers and Shakers and International Business Community” continues Theo Omambala “we will use the designer’s unique stories of cultural and artistic influence and inspiration as a collective promotional tool”.

Errol Hendrickse, originally from South Africa, and now living in London with Theo Omambala, who as been prominent in the South African fashion industry for the last five years, founded Ubuntu International two years ago, as an initiative focussing on growing talent from emerging markets across the globe. “We realised there was a gap within the market in terms of a South African design aesthetic,” says Hendrickse, “The world is desperate for a new design aesthetic as everything is so diluted on the global creative stage. “We felt that Vauxhall Fashion Scout was the perfect partner and platform for us to showcase the new design aesthetic via our selected designers” concludes Theo.

Labelled a “talent goldmine” by Vogue.com, Vauxhall Fashion Scout continues to attract the crop of the fashion industry looking for the 'next best thing'. Peter Pilotto, William Tempest, Felder Felder and Louise Amstrup all launched at the Vauxhall Fashion Scout shows. “Vauxhall is very much a soft launch,” adds Hendrickse. “The long term objective is to build strong, international, commercially viable heritage brands that have a recognisable unique identity based on cultural reference, quality, craftsmanship and efficient supply chains” adds Miss Omambala.

All three of the designers are working on ten strong looks that will sit alongside each other. Stiaan is updating and perfecting some of the pieces from his last Johannesburg Fashion Week collection accentuated with certain African nomadic influences , Heni is working on a collection entitled “Black & White” that is inspired by the Ndebele tribes and Laduma is known for his interesting Xhosa inspired knitwear.

“I'm naturally excited and happy to have been selected, but would like to approach showing and the collection with a 'sober' frame of mind knowing that it is merely an introduction to the fashion week framework in London,” says Stiaan Louw. “Considering that it is a introductory showing and not focused on retail I would like to use this opportunity to compare my product, fabric selection and production methods to what is on offer by independent brands at LFW. I have also made contact with a potential representative for the brand in London recently and this is an opportunity to expose them to a South African produced menswear offering, and physically showing them product as opposed to images. I have no illusions about export or the level of design in London and see this as a starting point to gauge the market there and improve my product.”

Ubuntu International Project today also invited potential partners to contact Hendrickse regarding Investor Relations.

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For further information, please contact:
Ubuntu International Project
Founding Members:
Errol Hendrickse errol@saam.org.uk Theo Omambala theo@saam.org.uk

Public Relations, Marius Maritz marius@saam.org.uk

About Ubuntu International Project Ubuntu International Project is an organisation developing, promoting and exporting a new South African design led aesthetic that fuses the techniques and traditions of South Africa with South African contemporary fashion in order to create a unique South African high-end Heritage Brand. Ubuntu is a South African ideology focusing on people's allegiances and relations with each other.

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Ubuntu International Project has brought South African fashion and designers to London Fashion Week in 2011. Our aim is to promote South African contemporary fashion in order to create a unique South African high-end Heritage Brand.