{"id":37570,"date":"2026-06-02T12:45:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T12:45:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/?p=37570"},"modified":"2026-06-02T12:45:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T12:45:42","slug":"vut-fashion-students-dominate-the-runway-at-fashion-without-borders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/nso\/vut-fashion-students-dominate-the-runway-at-fashion-without-borders\/","title":{"rendered":"VUT fashion students dominate the runway at Fashion Without Borders"},"content":{"rendered":"

“VUT fashion students showcased their designs at Fashion Without Borders 2026 in Sandton, gaining industry recognition, networking opportunities, and valuable fashion industry exposure.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

02 June 2026 | Story by: Staff Reporter | Picture: Supplied<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 minutes read time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"VUT<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Vaal University of Technology (VUT), through the Office of the Dean and the Head of Department of Human Sciences, supported fashion students from the Department of Visual Arts and Design by providing transport and refreshments to enable their participation at the prestigious Fashion Without Borders showcase held at the Sandton Michelangelo Towers on 22 and 23 May 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The participation was further facilitated by the Student Life and Governance Unit, which continues to create opportunities for students to gain exposure beyond the classroom and showcase their talents on professional platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fashion lecturers, together with the Fashion Police student structure that organises fashion programs, fashion showcases, workshops, facilitation and casting models, worked closely with fashion student designers to select the strongest collections to represent VUT on the runway. The selected students proudly carried the VUT flag alongside elite international fashion designers from Botswana and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as well as leading South African fashion houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fashion Without Borders platform provided an invaluable opportunity for VUT fashion designers and models to showcase their creativity, innovation, and technical skills. Their participation not only elevated the profile of VUT’s Fashion Programme but also positioned students for future opportunities within the fashion industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 22 May 2026, OATH Surprise Thabethe represented VUT at the Kiddies Fashion Show. Her collection featured sophisticated garments for children and incorporated a unique shoe collection, reflecting her passion for fashion footwear design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 23 May 2026, several student designers impressed audiences with their collections:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • VUT Collective, represented by Ms Kamohelo Mokotele, Mr Bongisihle Sindwa, Ms Mpekoa Magadwe, and Mr Cavin Mafomo, showcased a collection that received a standing ovation from the audience. Their designs highlighted a variety of fashion styles, including denim wear, custom one-of-one crochet pieces, and elegant female suits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Ms Kamohelo Moketele My experience with participating in fashion without borders was actually interesting due to the fact that I got exposed to different designers, fashion show directors , camera directors and models \u2026 working backstage was nice but had its own challenges especially when models need to get ready for the show.But overall results was great..the show went well..I really enjoyed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Rise Clothing, by Mr Sabelo Shungube, focused on denim fashion, presenting different shades and interpretations of denim garments that demonstrated creativity and versatility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Prima Clothing, by Mr Prince Mashamba, showcased ready-to-wear street fashion tracksuit designs that captivated the audience, many of whom could not resist capturing the moment on their mobile devices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Mr Prince Mashamba The fashion show was an amazing experience and a show not to miss. The fashion was filled with excitement on itself, bringing different fashion designers together to celebrate the creativity they do on their daily basis. This was an amazing experience to experience because being on a fashion like this brings more exposure to the fashion industry and growth. All thanks to the Fashion Without Borders Africa team and Sponsors to make it happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      VUT fashion models dazzled spectators with their confidence and signature horse walk on the runway. Their striking performances drew the audience’s admiration and contributed significantly to the showcase’s success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Their professionalism and stage presence demonstrated the calibre of talent being developed within the university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Fashion Without Borders programme has already begun opening doors for participating students. Several agencies expressed interest in collaborating with VUT fashion students, while one student secured a prestigious internship opportunity with Mr Price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The exposure gained through the event also created opportunities for networking, client engagement, and future collaborations within the fashion industry. Fashion designers who impressed the judging panel were selected to participate in the next Fashion Without Borders event, which will be hosted in the Vaal region next semester. Winners from that showcase will have the opportunity to represent South Africa in Botswana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The participation aimed to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Encourage fashion students to showcase their talent on national and international platforms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Create networking opportunities for fashion students and models to access future work and events.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Assist student designers in building business opportunities and expanding their client base.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        The event yielded several notable achievements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • VUT fashion students showcased their work in the Kiddies Fashion Show for the first time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Industry agencies expressed interest in working with VUT fashion students.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • One VUT fashion student secured an internship with Mr Price.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Student designers gained valuable exposure and industry experience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          The success of the showcase reinforces the importance of exposing students to industry-based programmes where they can present the practical work they create in class. Such opportunities not only motivate students but also strengthen their confidence and entrepreneurial potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          To further enhance student success, it is necessary to continue investing in fashion education by ensuring access to a broader range of materials and resources. One of the challenges highlighted was the limited availability of diverse fabric and material options for student designers, which can impact creativity and experimentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Despite these challenges, VUT’s fashion students’ achievements demonstrate the immense talent being nurtured within the institution. It is safe to say that VUT is producing the next generation of iconic fashion designers, following in the footsteps of industry leaders such as David Tlale. These students are already taking their work to greater heights and proving that the future of South African fashion is bright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          “VUT fashion students showcased their designs at Fashion Without Borders 2026 in Sandton, gaining industry recognition, networking opportunities, and valuable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":37571,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news-vaal-university-of-technology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/nso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37570","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/nso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/nso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/nso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/nso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37570"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/nso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37570\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37572,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/nso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37570\/revisions\/37572"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/nso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/nso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/nso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/nso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}