Open letter from Principal Marlene Oosthuizen

The NWSD family is only now waking up from our dream.  The reality of such a successful Platinum Fashion Festival has only now began to sink in and we have mixed feelings.  From feeling so privileged and blessed to being shell shocked and overwhelmed.  I know that every student and staff member shares this sentiment with me.  This week has been such a quiet week at NWSD and it is only today that student’s are themselves again. 

And now that reality has hit, I have to thank each and everyone for their part in this amazing and breathtaking event. 

Every Fashion Design student has showcased a collection that they can be proud of, and this was achieved through such dedication and hard work.  I don’t think the public is aware of the hard work that goes into such a collection.  Each of you can walk away from this with a sense of accomplishment of reaching such a remarkable goal.

The Fashion Communication students worked equally hard to put this world class event together and even though their showcase is so much different to that of a Fashion Design student, I still have to add that the Fashion Comm students can be so proud of their dedication and hard work.  We are still receiving commendations of how well the event was organized.  Each of you played a role and without your role, regardless of how big or small – the event could not have been such a success.

Now a big shout-out to our models.  From all of us at NWSD, we salute you.  We do not cast and select models in the same way as a fashion week would, or even as our competitor colleges goes about this process.  The norm out there is that showcased garments are made to a basic size 8 and once the garment is complete they find their size 8 models.  The NWSD difference is that our local girls (and boys) who we use as models dedicate their time to allow our students to tailor fit and make their garments to the models.  These models give our students such a huge advantage over other fashion graduates as they have learned to fit a live model and to work with an array of figure types.  They were challenged to come up with difficult fitting issues.  This is why we use models of various lengths and figure proportions.  Thank you!

The loyalty of the NWSD staff is such a big blessing to Charles and I.  Thank you for the role that you have played in getting the students to a place of success.  Most of the students did not know how high their ceiling of success is and without your help, the students would not have realized their potential. 

An event of such magnitude has a scary budget!  Our sponsors and partners have eased this stress and have allowed us to show SA what Klerksdorp is capable of.  Thank you to each and every sponsor, part sponsor and partner. 

I was especially proud when Dr Judy Dlamini and Gert Johan Coetzee announced their bursary winners.  Thank you Judy and Gert Johan for supporting NWSD and the Platinum Fashion Festival and for your contribution to higher education. 

Thank you to the media for the interest shown in the event and for your part in getting the NWSD word out and showing our student’s work to the world. 

The Platinum Fashion Festival crew is last but not least.  Maria and her team at Exotic Hair and Beauty did a tremendous job with the hair and makeup.  Ashley and JR of Loudmouth studios are the best!  Big thumbs up to Round Table for hosting the Bar.  JD5’s food was out of this world.  Centurion Hair students did a great job with the hair styling marathon and then there is Conrad’s Replay dance crew that gave us a world class show.  Almur Marais did not disappoint and also thank you to Dylan & Dirk for sharing your talent.  The photographers also did not disappoint as we now have over 5000 photos to work through! Thank you for C3 security for all your assistance.  Morne, Tiaan and Hein who are NWSD friends, thank you so much for managing our entrance areas. To my friend Martie Van Niekerk, is there anything that you can not do? Thank you Martie for a Jack of all trades.

Charles, 150 people were involved, some way or another, in creating and hosting this event, but it is you that held my hand each step of the way.  Thank you!