South African student wins SDC design competition
11/10/2010
Mr Ngxokolo, a student at the Nelson Mandela Metroplitan University in Port Elizabeth, was chosen over other finalists representing Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Pakistan, Singapore and the UK. This year, all entries had to show evidence of using colour as an integral component of the design process as well as incorporating some aspect of thinking around social responsibility and the SDC felt that Laduma Ngxokolo’s work, entitled The Colourful World of the Xhosa Tribe, showed a real understanding of the brief as well as an innovative use of colour in the expression of his designs.
The competition winner was taught to knit by his mother, a seamstress, who died eight years ago and since then Mr Ngxokolo has made money for his family by selling his knitwear while continuing his studies. His sister is also a design student and recently won a national student design competition in South Africa.
On learning that he had come top in the SDC competition, which is sponsored by specialty chemicals supplier Clariant, Mr Ngxokolo said: “I feel incredibly honoured to have won this international competition and I dedicate this prize to my mother, who passed away eight years ago. She inspired me to be creative from an early age and taught me how to knit and from then on I designed clothes and accessories. I want to use the prize money to set up as an entrepreneur and take my knitwear around the world, designing collections using mohair and South African merino wool. I hope to become known for my ethnic inspiration and that my cutting edge, traditional collections will be embraced around the globe.”
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