Since its initiation in 2012, the Scouting Menswear Competition set out to select the best of the best within a large pool of young menswear design talent. It has raised the profile of emerging menswear designers, introduced them to media and buyers, as well as supported them in breaking through into the retail market.
Today expectations from young designers are high – they are required to produce a comprehensive collection within a few months, be active on social media, have a strong industry and media presence and simultaneously cope with the business of fashion.
The Scouting Menswear Competition assists designers in coping with the demand to establish their brand soon after they have launched.
If you are serious about “the business of fashion” SA Fashion Week will spotlight your talent and give you the marketing platform needed to get to the top of your game.
THE COMPETITION
The competition creates a unique platform for young fashion game-changers to grow towards a circular fashion system.
Most important is to understand what the design brief is asking of you and how you can meet the judging criteria.
DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO PLAY A ROLE IN FASHION?
If your answer is yes, you have to rethink how clothes are made and worn through a lens of circularity. Design a sustainable menswear collection for the ‘now’ fashion lover who values alternative design inspired by dress in street and sport with as much respect for technical innovation as for our people and our planet.
Your customer is confident and curious, with a modern, natural, and independent lifestyle curated from eclectic sources of art, culture, music, travel, food and design.
Your designs must be innovative, original, inspirational and tap into your culture. Make it chic and completely wearable and compostable. Your fabric selection must be luxurious and soft on the skin, considering the local temperatures in South Africa.
THE BRIEF
From Sport to Street
Design a capsule collection of seven looks,, fusing your inspiration with any sport, and translating it to an
every day luxury trend-setting collection. Use 100% compostable fabrics and components within the collection.
THE JUDGES WANT TO SEE:
● Your research: A mood board with written and picture references which show where your Sport to Street inspiration came from
● The beginning: Pictures of the starting point of each of your seven looks, showing where the inspiration came from and how you are adhering to one or more of the four circular design strategies (below) to improve the garment’s lifecycle and enable circularity: o Design for Low Waste o Design for Low-impact Materials and Processes o Design for Longevity o Design for Recyclability
● Show us your innovation: Use garment construction and develop your own print to reflect your culture and enforce your design identity.
● Reflect: Opportunities for reproducibility, marketability and longevity.
SKETCHES OF THE COLLECTION:
● You must submit 7 outfits/looks
● Full description of how you have incorporated the brief of sustainable fashion in each look
● Number all your sketches (printed/drawn in colour) from 1 to 7 and label them with your name, surname, and label name
● Include complete technical descriptions with colours, fabric and print details (please include samples/swatches) of each sketch
PRIZE
The winner will be given opportunities worth more than R50 000.00 which include (but not limited to):
1. Showcasing their Autumn | Winter ‘24 collection at SA Fashion Week in October 2023
2. R50 000 cash price, a collab range that will be available in selected Mr Price stores in Aut/Winter 2024, a week spent at HQ to learn about the business
3. A stand at the SAFW Designer Pop-Up (date dependent)
WHO MAY ENTER
▪ Fashion designers who have been in business between three and ten years.
▪ Designers with a Fashion Design qualification (Degree/Diploma)
▪ Designers who are working towards establishing their brands in the South African creative fashion industry
▪ Previous SA Fashion Week Scouting Menswear finalists may enter
▪ Previous SAFW Scouting Menswear winners may not enter
INSTRUCTIONS
PHASE 1
● Designers must complete the online entry form on the SAFW website and download the full competition brief
● All online registration deadline is on the 15th of June 2023 – end of day – 17h00.
● Designers must prepare an electronic portfolio/storyboard, no longer than 10 pages, on their brand as well as a mood board and sketches of their 2021 collection – 7 looks.
● 6th of July 2023 is the deadline for all electronic portfolio/storyboards to be submitted.
● 14th of July 2023 – a panel of judges will view electronic portfolios submitted and select the semifinalists.
● 25th of July 2023 – Semi-finalists will be announced.
PHASE 2
● Sem finalists selected will have to produce a 7-look collection that must be ready for fitting on the 9th of October.
● You will be notified of the fitting venue where a full collection including shoes and accessories must be presented to the judging panel for final judging.
● Any collection that is not complete or does not follow the brief, by then will be disqualified.
● The winner will be announced at the Scouting Menswear showcase on the 20th of October 2023.
PORTFOLIO PREPARATION
An online registration form must first be completed – www.safashionweek.co.za. Make sure you complete and submit this to SAFW before the end of day on the 15nd of June 2023 to secure your entry.
All material for your electronic portfolio submission must be accurately collected in a single document, in the following order:
1. A professionally written profile. (The purpose of submitting your profile is to inform others about your cultural history, your mission, objectives and values and what inspires you)
2. CV/Resumé presented in English
3. Copy of I.D.
4. Copy of your diploma or degree
5. Submit a portfolio of your label: You will find a list of questions to answer about your label below. You are welcome to add any information/visuals to enhance your portfolio.
6. Photographs of previous collection outfits: Photographs are mandatory; your application will not be accepted without providing photographs. You may send pictures of your calico samples. No styling is allowed – only your garments on a mannequin or model – outfits must be seen clearly from the front and from the back.
7. Your Scouting Menswear Collection.
DEADLINES
15th June 2023 : Online registration closes at 17h00
06th July 2023 : Electronic Portfolio submission deadline
14th July 2023 : Portfolio judging and semi-finalist selection
25th July 2023 : Semi Finalists announced 9th October 2023 : Collection (7 looks) fitting and final judging – in Johannesburg – time and venue to be confirmed
17th October 2023 : Garment delivery – The Mall of Africa
20th October 2023 : SA Fashion Week Scouting Menswear showcase and announcement of the winner
Should you experience any technical difficulties contact Natalia Fernandez.
natalia@safashionweek.co.za
Electronic Portfolios to be sent to:
- scoutingmenswear@safashionweek.co.za
ALL ENTRIES MUST BE MARKED natalia@safashionweek.co.za SAFW Scouting Menswear Competition