Durban, South Africa (July 1, 2023) – African Fashion International (AFI) is proud to announce that the AFI Fastrack 2023 finalists and House of Nala brand have been selected as finalists for the Hollywoodbets Durban July 2023 Raceday Fashion Awards.
Hundreds of fashion creatives took to the Galaxy Stage at the Greyville Racecourse, where the judging for the Raceday Fashion Awards commenced. The eagle-eyed judges were looking for the best fashions under the Classic Raceday for Women, Classic Raceday for Men, Most Striking Couple and the Exceptional Raceday Hat or Fascinator categories.
In an exciting development, AFI’s designers, which includes the AFI Fastrack 2023 Finalists and the in-house House of Nala brand, were selected in these four categories.
In the Classic Raceday for Women, House of Nala’s greenshowstopper gown was named a finalist, while the gold and navy brocade House of Nala men’s suit with gold plaques, was nominated for Classic Raceday for Men.
AFI Fastrack finalist, Kgotsofalo Given Monyamate of the brand Articles From MARS, was selected as finalist in the Classic Raceday for Men category and Loice Dube of Lo’Icewas selected for Exceptional Raceday Hat or Fascinator. Dube’s unique hat won second place.
In a strategic move and seeing the potential of collaboration, Xhanti Mpu’s Xhanti brand and Mimangaliso Ndiko’s Sixx 6 decided to enter the Most Striking Couple and were selected for their high fashion black looks.
The AFI Fastrack Challenge
As part of a AFI Fastrack 2023 challenge, the AFI Fastrack finalists created garments inspired by the Durban July theme “Out of this World.”
The competition is held annually during the Durban July horse race and celebrate the best in South African fashion. It attracts rising as well as established fashion designers, all vying to share the glory of being one of the best designers on the day.
Drawing people from all over the globe, the Durban July is an ideal event for AFI’s mission of providing African designers with stages to exhibit their talent locally and internationally. The event stands as a great platform to display the skills of upcoming and well-known fashion designers, which is why AFI has identified it as an ideal opportunity to exhibit the abilities of the 2023 AFI Fastrack finalists.
“We are thrilled that the AFI Fastrack 2023 finalists and the House of Nala brand, have been selected for the Hollywoodbets Durban July 2023 Raceday Fashion Awards,” says Roshnee Pillay, Marketing Manager of African Fashion International.
“This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the participants, and we are proud to support them on their journey to becoming successful fashion designers. With the AFI Fashion Experience, we continue to live up to our mission of finding platforms that create opportunities for African designers to display their talent to a global audience.”
For more information on the event, please visit our website: https://africanfashioninternational.com/pages/durban-july.
Over the past 15 years, AFI has successfully connected African fashion to global markets, propelling and elevating designers to international acclaim. AFI’s mission is to be the best business platform and ecosystem that supports and enables trade for African fashion and brands. AFI was founded by businesswoman and philanthropist, Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe, whose love for African creativity, craftsmanship and culture led her to engage with diverse talent on the continent. AFI is recognised as a breakthrough platform that nurtures, invests in, and promotes the best African creative talent. Our products and services are aimed at local and international consumers who appreciate bespoke African luxury and craftsmanship. We enable global consumers to discover unique, high-quality African luxury apparel, accessories, and products from both established and emerging designers. AFI is the leading source of fashion industry content and news. Our vast talent and know-how in hosting fashion events and curated lifestyle experiences enables us to offer Events as a Service in beautiful physical and digital spaces.
ABOUT AFI FASTRACK K
AFI FastrackTM is an incubator programme, with a special emphasis on the Business of Fashion. Our goal is to curate and propel emerging designers to become technically savvy and commercially minded fashion entrepreneurs who incorporate sustainability into their work.
