Judging by the expression on her face when she heard the news as she was graciously helping the visiting dignitaries hand out the prizes, Fathima Patel was the most surprised of all the award winners at the recent ML Sultan Technikon’s Fashion Show ‘99. Popular head of the ML Sultan’s fashion design department, Fathima Patel was among the first group of graduates recognised by the institution with an alumni award for their contribution to the world of fashion which was a strong and positive reflection of the department’s teaching standards. The five winners were Fathima Patel, Saabir Alijee, Sash Padayachee, Morgalen Rajah and Debbie Rajah.

This year’s fashion show, titled Countdown, was described as “a walk through the hallways of fashion from early Egyptian to 2 minutes to midnight 2000? Bursting onto the fashion highways, the students drew inspiration from past centuries, incorporating this season’s hottest lines and freshest colours into a mosaic of styles from yesteryear, today and tomorrow.”

This technikon probably provides the most realistic mix of all Durban’s cross-cultural elements where European styles link up with the glorious sumptuous and exotic fabrics of India and the vibrant and primitive pulse of Africa. This mix manifests itself in fascinating ranges that constantly challenge the boundaries of fashion. This year’s winners were Malotsha Motseta (most innovated range), Tlotliso Sempe (best menswear range), Thembisa Garane (best ladies range) and Chris-U-Vinci Makanya (best technical student. Joshana Jagoo won the 3rd Base bursary award while Irshana Naidoo received the Methods Workshop – Prima Vision Computer Aided design award.