Audi Joburg Fashion Week

Audi announced as Headline Sponsor of SA's First Autumn/Winter Fashion Week

Leading international automotive brand, Audi, will become the headline sponsor of South Africa’s first annual autumn/winter fashion week, taking place in Johannesburg from the 14th to 17th February 2007. The event, announced earlier this year, will run under the title Audi Joburg Fashion Week at Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton. The launch of this event closes a long-standing gap in the South African fashion calendar, giving the country’s top established designers the opportunity to showcase autumn/winter collections at a major fashion week run to international standards.

The event will feature South Africa’s foremost designers, including many that are representing the country abroad such as Gavin Rajah (showcasing for a second season at Paris Fashion Week Couture in January), Gideon (recently returned from London Fashion Week), KlukCGdT (showcasing at Russian Fashion Week in the new year) Craig Port and Paul van Zyl Couture (who have both recently returned from Acapulco Fashion). Other leading designers will include Hip Hop, Gabi Rosenwerth for Rosenwerth, Sonwabile Ndamase for Vukani Collections, Fred Eboka for Eboka, Spero Villioti, Carducci, Warrick Gautier for Jenni Button and Hilton Weiner, Darkie, Lunar and Thomas Red.

The prestigious event will take place over 5 days at Nelson Mandela Square and will feature 20 individual shows choreographed by acclaimed world-class producers, Jan Malan & Mary Reynolds. Each show will reach a live audience of approximately 3000 people, both in the marquee venue and in venues around the square itself, via live-to-screen video feeds. A state-of-the-art transparent marquee and glass catwalk, combined with the latest audio-visual technology will provide a world-class platform that one would expect for South Africa’s leading designers. The event will host buyers, local and international media and VIPs.

Organisers Leisureworx, the company also behind Nokia Cape Town Fashion Week and MTN Durban Fashion Week, have established a strong reputation for producing internationally celebrated events championing African fashion. Audi Joburg Fashion Week is designed to complement, rather than compete, with the other major South African fashion showcases - that present spring/summer collections in July and August.

“Launching South Africa’s first autumn/winter fashion week, Audi Joburg Fashion Week, brings our country in line with the international fashion calendar and finally gives our designers a prestigious local platform to showcase autumn/winter collections. South Africa is proving itself as a new fresh voice in the fashion world and this event is essential in helping our designers compete globally, as well as reach their South African clients. Audi is one of the world’s best known brands with a strong heritage of both style and innovation and makes the perfect partner for this event,” said Paul Jackson, Managing Director of Leisureworx.

According to Chayne Brand, Marketing Manager for Audi in South Africa, “The Audi brand philosophy of Vorsprung (“lead the way” in German) dictates a daring and innovative approach in everything we do. Progressive design is synonymous with the Audi brand thus the link with fashion is a logical and natural one, the Audi Joburg Fashion Week promises to be Vorsprung in every way”

The timing of the event is in line with our fashion designer’s new autumn/winter ranges and allows sufficient lead-time for autumn/winter fashion media coverage. It also places the autumn/winter collections exactly six months before the spring/summer collections in August and slots in with the relevant international calendars.

For further information please contact Dan Pinch, Total Media:

(021) 448 2020dan@totalmedia.co.za

Audi Joburg Fashion Week

http://www.joburgfashionweek.co.za/