So the time has come for you to vote for your favourite Avant Garde dress 2012 designer from DAF, sponsored by Pick n Pay and The Body Shop. We had our photo shoot (those of you who follow us on Instagram will know this) last weekend and had some excellent make-up on display thanks to our wonderful sponsors from The Body Shop and hair by Style Studio.
We have listed all 11 designers below with their before and after shots and a brief description of their design and what materials they used. Remember the theme this year was CLIMATE SMART so when you cast your vote take into account the theme as well.
TO ENTER:
Post a comment in the comments section below and tell us who your favourite Avant Garde dress designer is for 2012 and why.
*For an extra entry, share the competition on Facebook with all your friends!
WIN:
We are giving away a pair of David Green sunglasses, valued at R1 500, to one lucky reader, just for voting!
Avant Garde dress 2012 Designers:
1. Jeremy Maku
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2. Cebokazi Marala
Inspiration:
The world as we know it is changing. We as human beings are continually abusing our natural resources. Keeping that in mind, our 2012 Live Eco theme was climate smart. I pictured myself in a world left with no vegetation and life, in a world like this one would have to protect themselves from the elements, hence my eco warrior, shielding herself from the harsh elements.
Process:
The whole point of this project was to upcycle old clothes into a new Avant Garde outfit using only natural and sustainable methods. I must say one of the hardest thing about this competition for me was dyeing the old clothes only using natural methods, because most of the clothes we received from the Live Eco collection, with Pick n Pay, were synthetic fabrics, which do not generally take well to dyes let alone natural dyes. Even though the whole experience was challenging I wouldn’t change it for the world. Not only has this experience broadened my knowledge of fabric manipulation and dyeing, it has also taught me how important it is as a young designer to be more conscious of what kind of impact my work can have on the environment.
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3. Chifunilo Mulusa
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4. Kezleigh Melville
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5. Zoe Poate
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6. Nick Coutts
Inspiration: EVOLUTIONISM
My garment was inspired by the melting of the ice caps and how living things on earth adapt to their new surroundings. How evolution relates to us during environmental changes and how we adapt to these changes by evolving into new creatures and adapting to these surroundings. Evolving into a sea life creature, my dress’s middle panel was inspired by sea worms and how they create tunnels through sand. The black beading represents baby mussels forming and the grey beads represent barnacles. The frills on the side of the dress are inspired by gills like fins representing fluid movement and the ease and grace with which sea creatures sail though water. I used donated upholstery fabric and second hand men’s shirts which I dyed with coffee. The beads were also second hand representing recycling.
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7. Kirsten Gordon
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8. Tasneem Williams
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9. Prudence Madisha
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10. Aneleh van Wyk
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11. Vanessa Saselse
Theme:
The overall theme for the 2012 Live Eco competition is climate smart. The way I interpreted this theme is: Glamour meets Forestry. As a fashion designer I would also like to get involved in spreading the word about the beauty of nature through fashion and spread the negative and positive effects it has on our environment.
Inspiration:
I wanted something to do with trees because of the increase of deforestation. As we all know the loss of trees contributes negatively to climate change. An example is global warming which leads to devastating effects on weather patterns. When one thinks about it trees are smart, they provide oxygen, prevent top soil from soil erosion, provides food, prevent ultra-violet rays which causes skin cancer. Some trees are used for medicine. Trees mark the season (summer, autumn, winter, spring. Provide and attract people to the great out-doors. Trees increase property value. Provide a home for animals. Act as wind breakers. Prevent global warming which affects weather patterns and sea levels. When leaves fall they are decomposable.
Garment Description:
I based my design on the life cycle of an apple tree. The design of the garment looks something like an upside down tree. A flare skirt which has 3 layers representing the different parts of the life cycle of an apple tree. The first layer represent the blooming phase, second layer present the fruit which are apples and the seeds and the last the formation of leaves. The top has few features of the tree; I wanted it to represent a tree trunk. The season is spring/summer because I wanted a mood direction of people going to a garden party when plants are blooming and fruits are ripe and people are happy and enjoying the company of their loved once. My color plate is earthy colors (brown, beige, greens and a hint of red. The different upcycled materials that I used from old clothes are cotton, wool, silk and stretch fabric. I used red beetroot to dye and give pink color to the flowers.
Trials and Tribulations:
Tracing the leaves, flowers, apple shapes, cutting them then hand stitching them was difficult, it took a lot of time and concentration. Hand stitching them on the garment also took a lot of time.
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Competition rules
*Competition ends on 25 November 2012
*Winner will be chosen at random.
*If winner cannot be contacted, the prize will be reassigned.
*Live Eco reserves the right to forward entrants´ details to competition sponsors.
*The judges´ decision is final.
*Competition prizes not transferable and no cash alternatives are allowed.
*By entering this competition, you agree to receive correspondence from Live Eco and affiliated competition sponsors.
*Competition is only open to South African residents.
