MEET THE FINALISTS: SINDISO KHUMALO

9 Jul 2012
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Introducing the fifth finalist for the ELLE Rising Star Design Award in association with Mr Price, the talented Sindiso Khumalo.

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When did you know that fashion design was what you wanted to do?
I’ve always been very passionate about fashion and have been making clothes since I was 14. I think the first time I felt that I wanted to be a fashion designer was when I saw the clothes that Hussein Chalayan and Comme des Garçons were making in the late ’90s. There was a conceptual rigour to their work that really drew me into the industry.

Tell us one thing we need to know about you as a designer?
I’m all about print, print and more print

How did you feel when you heard that you are one of the finalists?
It was a feeling of disbelief and excitement rolled into one. I feel extremely lucky and privileged to have been selected for the final eight.

What do you think differentiates your collection from the others’?
I’m a textile designer and all my prints are designed and tailored to each garment. It’s all very bespoke.

When it comes to working, are you a night owl or an early bird?
Both. I’m always working.

What do you listen to while you work?
Lately I’ve really been into a guy called Connan. He’s kind of psychedelic-indie-electro. I listen to a range of music but I find electro is the best when working. Good music can get you through most things in life.

Describe your favourite outfit?
In the collection I entered, it’s Billie. It is a suit, but the print is a little surreal and playful. Otherwise my mother’s outfits really inspire me. She has an old-school Chanel style. Tailored suits with gorgeous trimming. I also love her detailing, especially her pearl earrings which once in a while find their way into my wardrobe. It’s something I will always remember – my stylish mother and her timeless elegance.

If design weren’t an option, what would you have done?
I studied ballet for 12 years, from the age of four. When I was 16 I had to choose to either go to university or to continue with ballet. So if I hadn’t been a designer I probably would have been a ballet dancer.

What would winning this award mean for you?

The thing that drew me to the competition in the beginning was the GIBS business course that the finalists have all won. Creativity is one thing but channelling your creativity into a sustainable business is something else. Winning will give me invaluable business training and industry support to start my label. It would be amazing!

How did you get into design?
I studied an MA Textiles at London’s Central Saint Martins College. That was my introduction to fashion and textile design. I have interned at Dazed & Confused and worked as a stylist for Harrods’s website.

First fashion memory?
Watching my mother cut out Burda patterns on our dining-room table.

Who would you love to dress?
Yukimi Nagano, the lead singer of Little Dragon, a Swedish electro group.

Look out for the rest of our finalists this week.

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Kyra-moon Halfpenny on 7/11/2012: abSOULutely special in every way truly bespoke, encompasses exactly who the designer is in every way. magical.
Lenora on 4/19/2013: I love your textile designs!