elleClub NEWS

TWO YOUNG DESIGNERS LOOK BACK – AND TO THE FUTURE

15 Feb 2012
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We have the winner of the 2012 ELLE/LISOF Bursary: Dean Hauptfleisch. And why him? LISOF founder and managing director, Shana Rosenthal, says, “He submitted designs that were sophisticated, conceptual and highly creative. He had a clear understanding of the brief and fulfilled it with clarity and fashion savy.” Well done Dean, we wish you the best of luck for your three years at LISOF and cannot wait to see your designs.

Eldelene Marais and Nozwelo Nxumalo were among the graduates in LISOF’s class of 2011. Three years before, they were the recipients of the ELLE/LISOF bursary. We asked them to tell us about life as fashion design students, here is what they had to say:

Eldelene

‘Is this Eldelene Marais?’

‘Yes…’

‘This is Mike Thoms from LISOF. We would like to congratulate you on receiving our 2009 ELLE Bursary!’

‘What? You must be joking… Me?’ I screamed and squealed (a bit on the phone and a lot after the call had ended) in disbelief. I spent the next couple of weeks apologising to them for my inarticulate response to the news that I was awarded the 2009 ELLE/LISOF bursary and that (I know this sounds like a horrible cliché) my dreams were about to come true. Before I was given this opportunity, my life had been a bit of a mess.

My story: I was fresh out of high school, off to Stellenbosch to study fine art and very pleased with my prospects. Having done well in my first year, I had proud parents and dirty hands and my clothes had the distinct whiff of turpentine.

But – and isn’t there always a but? – it was not at all what I wanted. After two years of blood, sweat and tears, I packed my bags and moved back home to stay with my folks in Pretoria. My choices were now limited as my strict and worried dad chose my next career path. I think he was concerned that I would end up packing grocery bags, so he enrolled me at the University of Pretoria to study BCom. Oh dear, having books without pictures would have been a slow death to me.

Luckily the universe was listening and it all began the evening I came across the LISOF bursary page in ELLE. I applied for the fun of it, thinking my chances were close to zero. But surprise, surprise… According to LISOF and ELLE they weren’t and they gave me an opportunity to pursue my passion, something that would otherwise never have been possible.

I am forever thankful for the insight and skills I was taught at the best South African fashion institute and probably the best fashion school on the continent. As a LISOF graduate I am immensely grateful for the high standards that were set for us, for the faith and trust our lecturers had in our ideas and for their perseverance. LISOF has become my family and, like all caring parents, my lecturers mentored me every step of the way.

I will miss the one-on-one consultations with my design lecturer who always had creative insights and new and fresh ideas to hand. I will miss the confusing process of creating three-dimensional patterns from two-dimensional brown paper, and I will surely miss the many gut-wrenching half-hour sessions of intense discussion and debate: eyelet or press stud? I quickly learnt what drives excellence.

Somehow I know that, because of all these challenging experiences, LISOF has given me a solid foundation for realising a real career in the fashion industry. Whichever path I decide to pursue, I know that I can do so with confidence.

Thank you, LISOF, for three wonderfully exciting years, and thank you ELLE for the great opportunity. Drawing on the wise words of Steve Jobs, I now realise that you can’t connect the dots looking forward. ‘You can only connect them looking back, so you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.’

Eldelene Marais

Nozwelo Nxumalo

I applied for the ELLE/LISOF bursary three times before getting it; the third time was certainly a charm for me! I had dreamt of studying at LISOF as it is the most progressive fashion institute in the country, something I could relate and aspire to. The school is known for taking something out of its traditional context, turning it on its head and launching it into a new environment and I wanted to experience this.

Receiving the ELLE/LISOF bursary was a dream come true for me as it offered me the opportunity to expand my knowledge and realise my dream of becoming a fashion designer. Throughout the three-year course, LISOF helped me realise aspects of my existing talent and challenged me to reach the greatest heights, pushing me to always do my best.

I revelled in the student atmosphere, the creative environment and the amazing library. I enjoyed the challenge of the creative briefs, the learning process and the encouragement to think out of the box to achieve the perfect outcome.

I’d like to thank the LISOF lecturers for imparting their knowledge, for challenging me to push my creative boundaries and for helping me develop my own process and body of work. I’d like to thank ELLE for giving me an opportunity to join an industry I’ve always aspired to.

Nozwelo Nxumalo

It is a bittersweet ending, as I will miss the LISOF experience. However, the honour of having received the ELLE/LISOF bursary is something that will remain with me for the rest of my life.

For details of the 2013 ELLE/LISOF Bursary, look out for our October issue.