(Mina Evans)
A splash of African colour and style will come to the Durban
Fashion Fair tomorrow (August 24) when celebrated Ghanaian designer, Mina Evans
and her namesake brand take to the runway at the much anticipated fashion
extravaganza.
Mina Evans will join Italian design house Diego M as the big
names of the night.
Sindi Shangase, Business Support Program Manager for the
eThekwini Municipality Business Support, Tourism and Markets Unit, said Evans
had been specially invited to participate in the Durban Fashion Show alongside
big names such as Craig Jacobs, Gavin Rajah, Colleen Eitzen and Terrence Bray,
amongst others.
Although she studied in both the United Kingdom and South
Africa, Durban Fashion Fair will be the first time that Evans has participated
in a major South African fashion event. “This is my first time showing in South
Africa and in Durban, although it is not first time visiting!” she says. “I am
honoured to have been invited and I am really looking forward to checking out
the fashion scene in Durban. I think it’s a beautiful city and can’t wait to
show!”
Sindi Shangase said: “Mina Evans exemplifies just what a
truly professional African designer can bring to the international fashion
scene and will certainly be an inspiration to the new designers who will show
their creations to both national and international fashionistas for the very
first time.”
The Mina Evans brand was formally launched in 2010 with the
inaugural Jewels & Tulle collection captured by the popular lifestyle show Studio 53. Influenced by Ghana’s veteran
fashion designer, Kofi Ansah, Mina Evans exhibits a love for fusing luxurious
fabrics and intricate handpicked embellishments to produce feminine, stylish
and flawless pieces that are wearable time after time. The brand is readily
identified by its signature tie-dyed fabrics and bold colours.
Evans lists winning the Glitz Emerging designer of the Year
at Glitz Africa Fashion Week, showing at Vlicso
Be Your Dream Awards Night and showing at Ghana Fashion and Design Week
last year as career highlights.
“I think there is tremendous potential in Africa,” she says.
“We need to look past what’s in front of us. What other textiles can we use?
Are we presenting something that cannot already be purchased in Europe? There
are eyes on Africa and it is up to us to make our products competitive because
we are definitely bringing something different into the mix.”
The Durban Fashion Fair runs at the Durban Exhibition Centre
until Sunday (August 25) when there will be a sale of garments seen on the
ramps. The Fair showcases unique garments created by Durban’s design talents –
from new designers who are just finding their feet on the catwalk to emerging
talents who were treated to an internship in Milan, one of the fashion capitals
of Europe, following Durban Fashion Fair 2012. Ten newcomers will be selected
for a similar internship this year.
Tickets R100 pp per show (R50 students) booked through Computicket.
More information at www.durbanfashionfair.com
or visit official facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DurbanFashionFair
or Twitter https://twitter.com/DbnFashionFair
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