UK/SA design conference opens today at CPUT

Partly funded by the British Council, it is a partnership between the School for the Creative Arts at the University of Hertfordshire in the UK, CPUT, the Ruth Prowse School of Art and the BHC School of Design, all from South Africa, with support from the dti and the Cape Town Fashion Council.

Chairperson of the education subcommittee of the Cape Town Fashion Council and lecturer in fashion at CPUT, Bryan Ramkilawan, will manage the project in Cape Town.

“We are extremely happy to have a conference of this kind on our shores. We are hoping that it will equip our students and graduates with the enough information so they can make informed decisions about their careers. We would like to see them become entrepreneurs and running their own businesses with as much flair as they do with their designs. The conference's line up includes an exciting and very well placed group of speakers who will be on hand to give tips and advice to the students,” he says.

We must engage with international partners

Shaun Borstrock, a former South African now with the University of Hertfordshire who is a speaker and responsible for conceptualising the project, says; “As South Africa is rapidly developing its reputation as a creative centre for fashion and design, it is essential that we engage with international partners.

“The project will focus on enterprise and entrepreneurship within the creative industries. We will launch the project with a conference where guest speakers from leading design companies will talk about the notion of entrepreneurship and enterprise within a global context and then hold workshops on Tuesday 24 November, where the sessions will be more intimate and people can engage more closely.”

Program

Six British design and creative experts are taking part in the design conference, in partnership with three South African design/art institutions, to train and develop students in the creative and practical skills of fashion, jewellery and industrial design.

Karen Millen is a keynote speaker. She is an international designer and founder of the Gateway School of Fashion, an organisation that empowers young people affected by HIV/AIDS to build sustainable lives for themselves and their families.

Greg Burne and Martin Schooley, from the Big Active Design Agency and University of Hertfordshire, respectively, will chair a workshop called Portfolio Masterclass. Mark Bloomfield, who is the creative director at Simon Harrison, will share his expertise in creative direction at a workshop called, ‘A Day to Design…A Fashion Jewellery Collection', and Richard Adams, who is the course director of product & industrial design at the University of Hertfordshire will share his knowledge on lifestyle and character profiling.