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Johannesburg - South African designer to the stars Gert-Johan Coetzee has announced that he will give away two fashion-industry bursaries for students starting their studies in the 2018 academic year.
This is the seventh year that Coetzee is investing in young local talent.
ICYMI: Gert-Johan dressed Bonang for her recent 30th birthday blowout.
See that dress here:
More about the bursary:
The bursaries, worth R345 000 in total, cover tuition fees and study materials at the North West School of Design (NWSD), and includes personal mentorship by Coetzee and internships at his studio.
Why Gert-Johan is giving away the bursary in his own words:
“The fulfilment I have experienced by making a living in the industry that I am passionate about, is what inspired me make the same thing possible for other young aspirant fashion professionals,” explains Coetzee, who started his own company at the tender age of 23, after qualifying top of his class at NWSD in 2005. “It is possible to make a career in fashion, but you need determination and a will to succeed, aside from having an eye for fashion.”
Coetzee’s bursaries are earmarked for one student focusing on Fashion Design, and another on the newer Fashion Communication and Buying qualification, which trains students in the business aspects of the industry. Both qualifications are completed over three years and are internationally accredited.
So what do you need to qualify as a potential candidate?
Coetzee will be looking for an attitude as much as talent. “My bursaries are meant to equip students who have what it takes for a career in fashion, so I will select people who display the passion, drive and dedication that I know is required. The successful candidates will have an innate fashion instinct coupled with a business affinity and the ability to work really hard,” says the man who has made a name for himself dressing the A-list in South Africa and abroad.
What do the successful candidates get?
The two candidates who are selected will also receive sewing machines from Bernina to the value of R45 000. Both qualifications allow students to enrol for a fourth-year Licentiateship in Fashion, which is the highest international fashion qualification available in South Africa. North West School of Design is an international fashion college accredited through City & Guilds of London. The successful applicants will join the group of GJC bursary recipients who are currently in the process of completing their studies. Two earlier recipients have already started their own businesses after qualifying at NWSD.
Bursary applications close on Monday, 9 October 2017. To find out how to apply visit www.nwsd.co.za.
