The numbers have been crunched, the votes have been counted, the judges have spoken and the winner and runner up of Cutty’s Denim Battle 2017 have been decided. It was a very difficult decision as the numbers were incredibly close. Emerging victorious after an epic battle was Lerato Tsoke with her “Ripped Roses denim” followed closely by Tasneem Gani with her creation called “Exotic”. Well done you talented designers!

We asked the powers that be at Cutty how they came to their decision; “The winning denim was very much on trend. The elements used of rip and repair and roses are totally on trend for 2018.The fit was also in line with classic Cutty denims which would work well in the range. The workmanship placed into the denim is outstanding and especially considering how she washed and dyed the denims to get that overall look and feel, this is very hard to achieve by hand. An interesting element was how she backed the rip with the rose applique.”

When asked about runner up Exotic, “The stitching detail she used on the panels of the denims and the wash/bleaching was very interesting, a real clincher.”

So what have these two very talented young designers won, we all want to know?

• The winner, Lerato Tsoke, wins a R3000 Cutty hamper and her denims will be featured in the Summer 2018 range, PLUS she will earns R3.00 per garment sold.
• The runner-up, Tasneem Gani, wins a R3000 Cutty hamper – this prize includes: CFORCE, CRECEIVER, CUDIABLO, CBAXTER, CCLIP, CUBEACH and CCOOL.
• Our lucky voter – Howard Mosia wins a R2000 hamper – the prize includes: CFORCE, CBAXTER, CRECEIVER, CUBEACH.

WATCH THE VIDEO – From briefing to winning pair!

Now let’s get to know the young ladies a bit better with a short profile.

RIPPED ROSE DENIMS

Contestant name: Lerato Tsoke | Age: turning 26 years old

Cutty: “What inspired you?”

Lerato: “I was inspired by my love for flowers from an early age and I was really curious as to how flowers flourish and still maintain their beauty through harsh weathers. Then I remembered that it’s the soil and the sun that gives them life… actually the environment around campus was my biggest inspiration.”

1. “How long did it take you to make your garment?”

L: “The Whole of 2017 I was busy with my research, asking people how they would like their jeans to look and what they wouldn’t like on their jeans.”

C: “What does this accolade mean to you?”

L: “Winning this competition means that all my research and love for fashion was not in vain.”

C: “What was your overall feeling of the competition?”

L: “I’m really looking forward to working with Cutty and expanding the knowledge that I’ve already accumulated from school.”

GALAXY OF DENIM EXOTIC

Contestant name: Tasneem Gani | Age: 20 years old

Cutty: “What inspired you?”

Tasneem: “The inspiration behind my jeans was my brothers”

C: “How long did it take you to create Exotic?

T: “Around 8 hours.”

C: “What does this accolade mean to you?

T: “I’m proud of what I have achieved and hoping to achieve all my future goals.”

C: “What was your overall feeling of the competition?”

T: “It was a great experience, hard work and loads of fun.”

Better keep an eye out for these two talented young ladies. No doubt SA will be seeing more of their designs in the near future. Well done on such a brilliant design initiative Cutty. You saw it here first!

#CuttyAfrica #denims #CuttySummer2018