ELLE announces 2014 Rising Star Design Award

ELLE and Mr Price have joined forces again and the search is on for the 2014 ELLE Rising Star. The competition is open to all aspiring young designers and offers the winner a springboard for launching a career in fashion ...

This year the search is not just countrywide, though  it’s continent-wide as ELLE and Mr Price are casting their fashion net wider and have opened up the competition to young designers across Africa. Entries have opened on 14 July 2014 and the entry form can be downloaded from www.elle.co.za. 

The 2014 ELLE Rising Star Award in association with Mr Price is presented by African Fashion International (AFI) and the search will culminate at the prestigious Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Africa 2014 where the finalists will show their designs and the the winner will be announced. 

ELLE, Mr Price and AFI are passionate about nurturing talent and giving Africa’s young designers the tools and the platform they need. The prize therefore includes a two-week mentorship programme at the Mr Price head office in Durban where the winner will be exposed to the complete retail cycle, from trend forecasting to merchandising, and redesign a pre-selected range in collaboration with Mr Price to will be sold in select Mr Price stores. 

Similarly, the ELLE Rising Star will spend 2 weeks at the ELLE office with the ELLE editor and her fashion team. In addition, the title comes with a R30'000 cash prize from Mr Price and the opportunity to show a range at the 2015 ELLE Rising Star Design Awards with R7'000 from Mr Price to help fund the range. 

The 2014 ELLE Rising Star will furthermore participate in the AFI Next Generation programme and show a spring/summer collection as part of the programme. AFI’s Business Development Manager, Bella Cebekhulu, says, “AFI is excited about joining forces with ELLE. The award and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Africa are perfectly aligned in our strategies and goal to nurture new talent, something that AFI holds very close to our heart.” 

Aspiring young designers wanting to follow in the footsteps of previous winners David Tlale, Tiaan Nagel, Anisa Mpungwe and most recently Nicholas Coutts need to note the following: 

• Entrants have to be a final-year fashion design student or a fashion graduate with no more than three years design experience. 
• Anyone currently employed by a South African or African fashion retailer won’t be able to enter. Entrants must have been born in an African country or South Africa and should also hold legal citizenship within this country. 
• The last date for submitting entries is 11 August 2014. 

Stay in the #RisingStarAfrica2014 loop @mrpfashion @ellemagazinesa @afi_sa on Twitter and visit www.elle.co.za for details and updates.