LEIGH SCHUBERT

Durban designer Leigh Schubert flies the SA flag at Australian Fashion Week

It’s been said by many a fashion critic that you can’t live without her garments which is why Leigh Schubert has become such a household name in South Africa. Now she’s hoping to turn Australia on to her sexy sophisticated style. Invited back to the Rosemount Australian Fashion Week after her successful showing last year, Schubert is proud to be the only South African-based designer to showcase at RAFW.

Widely applauded for her astute use of textures and fine fabrics, she has consistently wowed fashion scribes with her breathtaking collections on South Africa’s top fashion stages, including MTN Durban Fashion Week, SA Sanlam Fashion Week and Nokia Cape Town Fashion Week.

After winning the Emerging Designer category in the acclaimed Durban Designer Collection, she decided to launch her eponymous range in 2002. She has been nominated twice for the Marie Claire Prix de Excellence Awards for Best South African Emerging Designer, winning the citation award in 2007. Following rave reviews at the Audi Johannesburg Fashion Week in January this year, she’s been hard at work perfecting her sizzling ready-to-wear collection for Australian fashion lovers. She jetted off to Australia in April to show at the Born Again arts collaboration couture show before unleashing her sensual urban style on Sydney on May 4.

Within days of returning to South Africa she’ll showcase her range at the King Club Collections on May 13 and the legendary Vodacom July fashion extravaganza. With her signature store in Marriott Road, Durban, flying her fashion flag, Schubert plans to open stores in Johannesburg and Cape Town before the end of the year. She’s also sold on expanding her brand into Australia by next year – so watch this space!