Wow. FEDISA's done it again. I was absolutely blown away by the Graduate Collection Show on Saturday. Year after year, the creative collaboration collections by the 1st and 2nd years provide a plethora of fascination and while this year was no exception, I have to say that the graduates were absolutely enthralling. I don't know what they're putting in the water at that new campus but can I get a sip?
The 2013 graduate collections thrilled me more than frequently than I had been during the entire span of fashion week so I implore this talented crop to please continue designing and showing. I think South African runways need a heavy dose of FEDISA. A few standouts for me were Lauren Goncalves' epic Fossilisation of Self, Carolyn Andrews' charming Tales of Grimm, Zahn Van Heerden's amazing Skinwalkers, Bianca Langeveld's exciting Supersonic and Elizma Ferreira's mesmerizing Fallen Hawk. The textures and embellishments presented in Shelia-Madge Bakker's Life Aquatic were a marine dream and Lara Dreyer's Mistral gave us cool-girl chic with brilliant fringed kimonos and velvet bellbottoms. There's actually too many designers to mention, I almost can't handle this much inspiration!
In previous years, FEDISA proved that their graduates were well-equipped to produce commercial ranges but I believe 2013 is the year we've seen their students deliver high-concept dreamworlds. The craftsmanship, editing and cohesion were a triumph. What a fascinating spectacle. Congratulations to FEDISA and its students. Bravo!
