Fashion bursaries worth R500 000 up for grabs
via Gert-Johan Coetzee
Gert-Johan Coetzee is known for making the A-list steal the show at
events such as the Durban July, but in between making glorious gowns, the designer
is now searching for two new students to benefit from his three-year bursary
programme. And after Coetzee challenged other businesses to invest in
education, the luxury boutique Luminance has added a third bursary to the
programme!
Applications have just opened for the 2017 GJC Fashion Design bursary
and the brand-new GJC Fashion Communications and Buying bursary, valued at a
total of R345 000. Coetzee’s fashion design bursary is already in its sixth
year at the Northwest School of Design, but it is the first time that he is
adding a Fashion Communications bursary, to accommodate students who are more
interested in the business end of fashion. The latter qualification is also
what the R170 000 Luminance Social Responsibility Grant will fund.
“The industry is really dynamic, and there are so many opportunities,
which is why I decided to add a bursary for the more business-oriented
qualification. It’s so hard to get your foot in the door and the aim of my
bursary programme is to pass on what I have learnt, and to open doors for
youngsters who have the talent and drive to succeed,” says Coetzee. He believes
that the private sector has a responsibility to invest in the education of the
next generation, and says he was “absolutely thrilled” when Judy Dlamini from
Luminance, which stocks his couture, approached him to sponsor another Fashion
Communication student. “This three-year qualification teaches the business end
of fashion – from fashion journalism, marketing and trend forecasting, to
buying, event management and online retail aspects,” explains the designer.
Both bursaries include mentorship by Coetzee, and the opportunity to intern at
his atelier to learn the business from the inside out. The beneficiary of the Luminance
Social Responsibility Grant will have a similar opportunity to intern at
Luminance. Says Dlamini, "We’re looking for
someone who is driven to succeed in fashion and business and willing to learn….
A good academic record is important to us since it shows discipline,
determination and hard work.”
Coetzee also has a very clear idea what he’ll be looking out for. “Success
will only come if you have an inborn fashion instinct and are extremely passionate
about it. I am looking for students who are as singleminded about fashion as I
was at that age, youngsters who are driven, dedicated and not afraid of hard
work."
All three the lucky applicants will receive sewing machines from
Bernina, worth a total of R45 000, and all their tuition fees and study
materials will be covered for the three years of their course. Both courses
offer students the chance to progress to a licentiateship, the highest
international fashion qualification in South Africa. Northwest School of Design
is an international fashion college approved by
City & Guilds of London.
“I am extremely proud of
the talented group who make up the GJC bursary team at NWSD, and I expect great
things of them,” says Coetzee. Last year’s graduate, Prudence Kau, is currently
interning full-time at his atelier, on a fourth-year fellowship from another of
the designer’s associates, Brutal Fruit. “Prudence is working on her first
collection for Brutal Fruit at the moment while she is completing her
licentiateship, and it’s a privilege to be able to mentor a young star in the
making.”
For more information on how
to apply for the Gert-Johan Coetzee bursaries and the Luminance Social
Responsibility Grant, visit www.nwsd.co.za ENDS
