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House of Lucent steps into a young designer’s dream after walking away with the 2019 New Talent Search award following her showcase on the first day of SA Fashion Week (SAFW). The coveted price has been given annually to top emerging designers for the past 26 years.
The brand’s designer and owner, Laura Ferreira, has a remarkable chapter ahead as she is set to receive a mentorship and business support courtesy of SAFW.
House of Lucent already has its wheels going with it’s Autumn/Winter 2022 collection on sale.
Laura, the creative behind the fashion brand, is ecstatic and says, “I feel overwhelmed and grateful for the opportunity and for the experience. I just feel so happy for the future. Now I have an amazing platform that stands behind me as well as the resources to really shine life throughout the industry, which is what I wanted.”
READ MORE: These are the trends spotted on the SAFW runway on opening night
House of Lucent secured the prize over five other upcoming brands. The slow fashion brand prides itself on being a proponent of locally produced slow fashion.
With SAFW taking a stance to promote sustainability this season, the New Talent Search judges considered brand positioning and sustainability when choosing this year’s winner.
READ MORE: Save the planet, but make it fashion: SA Fashion Week commits to a sustainable fashion 5-year plan
House of Lucent showed a “modern classics” collection that features lined suits, wrap dresses and jumpsuits – among other pieces, accessorised with straw and raffia hats from the collections. The models walked the collection with cork-finished accompaniments such as gloves, boots and crossbody moon bags.
“The collection was a mix of strong versus feminine silhouettes and cuts,” says Laura. “All the fabrics and trims I used in the collection are natural... everything is 100% natural.”
“It’s really important for me to go with the whole sustainable feel and it’s just supposed to be something that a modern, young working lady can wear and she can feel the best version of herself – that’s really what I want to achieve,” she adds.
Laura says “knowing that I now have so much knowledge, so much experience at any time, day or night, I think that’s the most important thing for me. I think as a young designer you often need guidance and now that I have it, that’s really something so special and something that I really appreciate”.
House of Lucent already has eyes on its next capsule collection expected to launch in 2020 to expand the House of Lucent range.
READ MORE: Ruffles, mixed prints, leather and more trends spotted at AFI fashion week
Having spent a year as the titleholder of the New Talent Search award, Cindy Mfabe shares words of encouragement to this year’s winner:
“What I would say is just absorb all the lessons, especially from The Fashion Agent, and listen. Sometimes the advice is bittersweet but you’ll need to listen to them because they’ve been in the business for a while. So I’d just tell [Laura] to let herself grow and just be open to new experiences, but her stuff is amazing.”
Having faced many challenges and experienced immense growth since winning the prize in 2018, Cindy continues to build her brand as she keeps to exploring through colour and incorporating prints to produce collections of comfort and durability with a luxe aesthetic.
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