It was tough the first year of being in business for himself.
Breaking Points
Although his mother was unsupportive of his decision to be a designer, David persisted through the lean times. One day, he spotted an ad for the Elle New Talent Competition. He started to apply, and then realized that he needed to submit full storyboards and materials overnight. Like a scene from Project Runway, David pulled an all-nighter and made it happen. Three days later, he was in the top twelve. Three months later, he was in the finalists, and then…he won.
Winning the Elle New Talent Competition launched David's career in earnest, but it did not mean instant success. He still had no full-time, dependable clients. As he considered returning to teaching, David had a lucky break. The House of Montiac called him to work in Cape Town. Rather than leave his...
He did this for two and a half years, before he realized that his work with Montiac was eating too much into his ability to build his own label. Returning to Johannesburg with newfound determination, David became 1 of 4 designers with Africa Fashion International to present in Paris Couture; he won Fashion Designers of the Year Arise Africa Fashion Awards; he became the first to secure a standalone slot to showcase under his own name at the Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week, and his brand started to build itself from the ground up. As Drake puts it, "Started from the bottom, now the whole team here."
The Dresses
David was the first to have coins featured on a dress, which is stunning in the way it blends fluidity with solidity.
