South African Fashion Week (SAFW) collaborates with 24 fashion colleges and universities nationwide to host its annual Student Competition for final-year students. Launched in 2006, this prestigious platform is now in its 19th year, identifying and nurturing top talent at the very start of their careers.
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| Nawaal Joosub From STADIO School of Fashion Announced As South African Fashion Week Student Competition 2025 Image by Eunice Driver |
Year after year, the SA Fashion Week continues to nurture emerging designers, giving them industry exposure, professional recognition, and a springboard to local and international opportunities. It stands as a key driver of South Africa’s creative fashion economy, proving that the future of sustainable fashion starts here.
SAFW, in collaboration with Hyde Park Corner, hosted the 2025 Student Competition Exhibition in their prestigious Centre Court. Seventeen students showcased outstanding emerging talent and fresh creative energy shaping the future of South African fashion.
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| Nawaal Joosub Winning Shirt photographed by Eunice Driver |
Nawaal Joosub's sleeveless corset shirt was selected a winner for the 2025 edition, students were tasked to design a size-34 shirt in 100 % cotton, transformed through techniques such as dyeing, pleating, distressing, or embroidery. Entries were judged on innovation, aesthetics, sustainability, and marketability.
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| Gert-Johan Coetzee & Nawaal Joosub photographed by Eunice Driver |
With a strong focus on creativity and innovation, the competition has became South Africa’s first student design competition to introduce sustainability criteria, aligning with SAFW’s sustainable fashion objectives. Each year, students are challenged to merge originality, craftsmanship, and environmental responsibility, bridging academic training with the realities of the creative fashion design industry.