/ 23 June 2006

DKNY, Diesel, Durban

‘The wonderful cultural mix in Durban definitely has an effect on my work, because there is no one style of dressing,” said fashion designer Amanda Laird Cherry. “It’s so inspiring to walk down Grey Street and see people in punjabis and kurthas, men walking with skins in their belts, a traditional Shembe stick and a briefcase. You see this every day, and you can’t help but be inspired.”

Laird Cherry, speaking during the Durban Fashion Week at the International Convention Centre, is one of several Durban designers whose names and labels are synonymous with the top echelons of the South African fashion industry. Designers such as Colleen Eitzen, Craig Native, Themba Mngomezulu (the Darkie label), Terence Bray, AndrÃ