NEDBANK FOOTBALL FAN FASHION COMPETITION 2015

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The Nedbank Football Fan Competition was a nationwide competition where 12 finalists were selected and paired with one well-known South African fashion designer. Each pair had to design three garments, one ready-to-wear garment designed and made by the student, one avant-garde garment designed by the designer, and one garment designed in collaboration with the student and designer for the Super Fan of their given football team. I was paired with fashion designer, Sylvester Falata to design football inspired garments for the Maritzburg United Football team.

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Maritzburg United is a proudly South African football team founded in 1981 in Pietermaritzburg. The team has been apart of the Professional Football League (PSL) for 18 years and thrives to be both aspirational and inspirational to its fans, supporters and team members. Maritzburg United is a strong believer of achieving their long-term goals through ethics, loyalty and great sportsmanship as well and the genuine love for the game. Their team slogan is “The Team of Choice!” and aims to be the best football team in South Africa.

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The motivation for my storyboard came from the colours of the Maritzburg United football team, which are blue and white, as well as the shape and construction of the soccer ball which is the club’s symbol. The soccer ball is made up pentagon and hexagon shapes and in total has 60 vertical lines and 90 straight edges. I want to design a high fashion ready-to-wear shirt-dress that will be perfect to wear to a soccer game paired with sneakers for a casual and sporty yet fashionable feel. The dress can also be styled for a more formal event by pairing it with a belt and statement jewellery and a pair of chunky heels. The round shape of the soccer ball is an inspiration as well as the straight edges and lines of the shapes that make up the ball. I will create a fabric to mimic the soccer ball and incorporate it into the shirtdress design, as well as use dying techniques to incorporate the blue from the team’s colours.