Fashion guru Gert-Johan Coetzee gives back to the nation

Acclaimed South African designer Gert-Johan Coetzee has made it his mission to see other people soar to greater heights.

Coetzee, who has dressed many A-list celebrities including former Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi, Oprah Winfrey, and one of the Kardashian sisters Kourtney Kardashian, is celebrating 10 years of his enabling project for aspiring designers.

This time he has teamed up with North West School of Design to make one designer hopeful’s dream for the 2023 academic year come true.

The chosen candidate will receive a bursary to study for three years with the North West School of Design. Coetzee shared that during the course, the candidate will simultaneously enrol in two internship programmes each year during recess at the Gert-Johan Coetzee Studios.

“The reason I ignited the programme is that I noticed how there are so many great bursary programmes out there that offer immense knowledge and it simply just ends there,” said Coetzee.

“That information is never followed through into the workforce, and that is the reason I wanted my bursary programme to be different and more focused on the internship that I am offering.

“The student not only gets to study where I studied and familiarise themselves with the foundation that I received, but they also get the opportunity to come to my studio in Bryanston to experience the practical side of design execution, the creative processes around it, as well as the grit it takes to run a fashion business.”

He added that past recipients of the bursary are employed in various sectors of the fashion industry and in mass production factories. Others are employed as assistant designers and studio managers while some run their own stores.

All the matriculants who are interested in pursuing a career in fashion design are encouraged to apply for Coetzee’s bursary.

 

 

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