Watch: School of fashion unveils Comic-Con Sew-A-Thon and Fashion Bursary winners

STADIO School of Fashion has unveiled the winners of the first-ever Comic Con Africa Sew-A-Thon competition which was held on Saturday, 11 June 2022 at the Randburg campus in Johannesburg.

Grand prize winner Maou, along with Ray van Rooyen and Cheyenne du Preez, who took second and third place respectively, have all walked away with an array of prizes which included cash, after impressing judges with their ready-to-wear creations.

They were tasked with crafting a superhero costume piece in just eight hours, and their efforts were watched by nearly 2,000 viewers on a live YouTube broadcast.

Each participant was also invited to display their costumes at the upcoming Comic Con event later this year.

“I didn’t expect to win and so was so surprised when my name was called out.  I based my design on the hero Cat Noir from Miraculous Ladybug. I wanted to make a cat boy but with a simpler design so I could finish in time and execute it well.

“The whole idea of the competition is to centre your hero around what Comic Con means to you, so I chose to use blue to symbolise my calm and professional manner, and red because this embodies how I am with cosplay – louder and unafraid of being judged,” says Maou.

The judging panel included STADIO School of Fashion’s Academic Supervisor Patrick Brill and Discipline Leader Terese Potgieter.

“It was great to see how the contestants were dedicated and hungry to win the challenge. This just shows how our young and upcoming designers need more platforms such as this initiative to showcase their skills to succeed in the industry.

“As a judge, I wanted to see a cohesive and innovative approach characterising the cosplay persona of Comic-Con Africa in the designs and the contestants’ efforts exceeded my expectations. Congratulations to the winners” comments Brill.

STADIO School of Fashion also used the Sew-a-Thon event to reveal Cara Potgieter as the first prize winner of their Superhero Design Bursary competition. Potgieter, a Grade 12 student and aspiring fashion designer, will receive a 50% bursary towards her tuition fees at the school, after submitting the best superhero costume design.

“I am thrilled to have won this competition. STADIO has one of the best fashion schools in the country so getting a bursary from such a prestigious institution is simply humbling. It means I am one step closer to achieving my dream of being a fashion designer and I cannot wait to enrol and get started,” says Potgieter.

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