And the Young Creative Entrepreneur Winners in Fashion and Design are…
Elisha Mpofu is spreading his creative influences through an entrepreneurial venture Boaston Society, a youth culture platform with interests in a concept lifestyle space which houses a clothing store stocking over 20 local brands, an art gallery for upcoming young artists, a cycle spot which promotes cycling commuting and a recently added commuter workspace in Cape Town’s famous Long Street. From the inception, the main aim was to push local street wear and internationalise their creativity and as Creative Director for Boaston Society he has set the goal of creating 150 jobs through the company and its affiliates.
Celeste Arendse is the designer of a ready to wear women's clothing brand named Selfi. She has launched seasonal collections at the prestigious Mercedes Benz Fashion Weeks (hosted by AfI) in Cape Town and Johannesburg In 2012 and 2014. Her work has been showcased at Design Indaba Expos in 2011, 2012 and 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. She has navigated her brand within the South African clothing sector to be a ready to wear women’s brand for young professionals, supplying local concept stores that share similar values to her brand. She has attracted international appeal by stocking in Zurich, Switzerland and New York. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines such as Elle, Glamour, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Sunday Times and online platforms such as Dazed Digital, Miss Moss, A Fashion Friend and Between 10 and 5 amongst others. She became an Elle New talent finalist in 2009 and from there ventured into starting her own brand.
“It is such a pleasure to be able to send not just one, but two really excellent entrepreneurs in the Fashion and Design YCE Award category to London in September. Both Celeste and Elisha are at the stage of their career in which their businesses are flourishing and may benefit from the creative exchange with the winners from other countries and the curated tour of the UK industry. We are looking forward to seeing how they utilise the opportunity on their return.” says Levinia Jones, Creative Economy Project Manager.
The British Council’s Young Creative Entrepreneur (YCE) programme celebrates, supports and connects entrepreneurs who are innovating the creative and cultural industries around the world. The YCE Award forms part of Connect ZA - a British Council arts programme that aims to build cultural connections between young people aged 18-35 in the UK and South Africa. The programme includes opportunities for showcasing, collaboration, innovation and professional development with a number of events and projects throughout 2013-2015.
The winner will participate in a shared tour of the UK’s fashion and design sector. The programme allows the winners to gain unique access to and insights into the UK industry, as well as providing a fantastic opportunity to make a wide range of business contacts that will act as a springboard for future business/collaborations between the UK and internationally. The tour will run from 13 – 19 September 2014 while London plays host to London Fashion week and London Design week.
