Marize Malan takes first prize at new Elle Magazine Talent Competition

It's that time of the year again when Mzansi fashion designers showcase their latest season collections. The Sandton Convention Centre is full of fashionistas, celebrities, exhibitors, media and the general public who have travelled from here and afar to witness what fashion designers think should be on our wardrobes for this season.

The first show that I've just seen at the Sanlam South African Fashion Week is the Elle Magazine New Talent competition, sponsored by Mr. Price, where 7 finalists were vying for the coveted title as the new designer everybody should watch out for next year. The designer who came out tops is Capetonian Marize Malan, who walked away, in addition to the title, with a year-long internship with Mr. Price, a chance to showcase her collection at next year's Sanlam SA Fashion Week (comprising of a R5000 start-up fund), as well as a feature on the pages of the fashion magazine Elle.

As for the clothes, I was not really impressed. Although there were a few items from each of the collections that looked good, it wasn't instantly eye-grabbing and deserving of the wow-factor. I noticed that leggings, whether torn or not, were the order of the day in almost all the collection. The creativity was visible, but the execution of the designs seemed sub-par, at the most. Let's hope the next show, by Black Coffee, makes up for it.