Fashion Designer/Stylist/Critic - South Africa.: 2013

Finding one self’s purpose in life is as good as trying to piece a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle under the candle light. But for Sylvester Falata, one of South Africa’s brightest stars in the fashion business, the exercise was like a coin toss. A shift from wanting to become a lawyer to being a fashion designer is, was quite drastic. @jerrypurfz went to investigate.

JERRYPURFZ: *We first got a glimpse of you on Selimatunzi a few years back: How did that come

about? And where did it all started?

SYLVESTER FALATA: *It was in the early stages of my career and I was commissioned by the

producers to design a wedding dress for a bride to be. Who had written a letter

to the show (Selimathunzi). They'd recently seen some of my work and

took a liking to it. And the process was filmed and aired on three separate

episodes. And we had a beaming bride, so it was a triumph.

My career in Fashion began In 2005. I studied at the North West School of

Design. And in my first year, I was a finalist in the Vukani young designer

search competition.

I was then approached by Anna Getaneh of African Mosaique. She mentored

me. I subsequently became an in house designer, working

alongside Paris based designer, Eric Raisina. I later on worked with other

established South African labels. Until I started my label.

JERRYPURFZ: *How would you define your style of fashion?

SYLVESTER FALATA: *Classic with an edge. I want women to feel beautiful, elegant and confident in

my clothes. After all it is about the woman in the dress. And I'd love to create

timeless garments that never go out of fashion. I love seeing them being worn

and enjoyed. It's very fulfilling.

JERRYPURFZ: *When did you realize you wanted to become a fashion designer

SYLVESTER FALATA: *Fate decided the course for me. My intention was to study law… and in a very

interesting twist I found myself at a design school a week before I was meant to

start law school. I fell in love with the design school and that's where it all began.

And I've never looked back ever since. I'm very passionate about it.

JERRYPURFZ: *You make clothes for both Male and Female. How does designing for men differ

from designing for the women?

SYLVESTER FALATA: *At the moment I only design for women. We recently restructured the company

and decided to only focus on womenswear for now, grow that and go into retail.

Which is what we're busy with now with the Ready-to-Wear range. But we will

return to doing menswear back in the in the near future.

JERRYPURFZ: There's a cliché that men don't really buy designer clothes. Has your experience

Confirmed this? Is that why you decided to focus more on women?

SYLVESTER FALATA: *No!. It's actually changing a lot. With men paying more attention to how they

look. More men are buying great designer pieces. That carries them from

season to season.

JERRYPURFZ: *What are some of your accomplishments as a designer?

SYLVESTER FALATA: *The first one is definitely showcasing at SAFW in 2010. It was such an

incredible experience. I learned so much from the experience.

Dressing Lira for the SAMA's in 2009. In the bottle green one shoulder dress.

She was the Belle of the Ball. She was on every best dresses list. That's where

it all really began. And being in the Destiny Man's Power of 40 List (a list of 40

men under 40 making a mark in their respective fields)

JERRYPURFZ: *Who are some of your favorite designers: Mention two, Locally and

internationally?

SYLVESTER FALATA: *Tough on: locally, it's Thula Sindi and Marianne Fassler.

Internationally it's Valentino and Tom Ford. That's the easy one. They've

always been my favorite. Valentino being my all time favorite of course.

JERRYPURFZ: *What do you believe makes a quality item of clothing? The material or the design?

Why?

SYLVESTER FALATA: *I think it's a combination. The trick is getting the balance right. Because a bad

design can make expensive fabric look very cheap. And the other way round.

JERRYPURFZ: *You are well known for dressing Lira, and recently to BET 2012. Has that helped

you grow your client base, even internationally?

SYLVESTER FALATA: *It's definitely introduced me to a new audience internationally, and locally. to

people who were not aware of SYLVESTER FALATA. And that was another big

accomplishment too.

JERRYPURFZ: *What's your favorite part about creating a garment?

SYLVESTER FALATA: *It's definitely seeing my clients in the garment. And seeing them fall in love with

what they're wearing and feeling... Powerful, regal and beautiful. It's almost like

they're about to take over the world. I just Love it! It's very rewarding to watch.

JERRYPURFZ: Is the Fashion Industry really about "Glitz, Glamour and Fortune” perhaps?

SYLVESTER FALATA: *That's the biggest lie! Well... at least in my experience. It's hours and hours of

work, sleepless nights and commitment. It is rewarding in the end though.

JERRYPURFZ: *What advice do you have for aspiring fashion designers?

SYLVESTER FALATA: *Stay true to who you are. Know what you want and give it your best all the time.

Someone will notice, if not everyone. And be authentic in everything you do.

JERRYPURFZ: * You've done quite a lot of traveling in recent times: was this for personal or

business? Anything major in the pipeline for your label?

SYLVESTER FALATA: *It was a bit of both. But mostly business. With the introduction of the Ready-to-

wear range. We've been exploring a lot of different ways to grow it and get it out

there. Especially reaching new markets, growing and establishing the label.

JERRYPURFZ: *Many great designers fall short at dressing themselves. How would you define

your personal style?

SYLVESTER FALATA: *OH Wow! My style is very easy. I want to be comfortable all the time.

But I do make an effort. Otherwise how's anyone going to trust me to make them

good if I'm a mess? Ha ha ha!

JERRYPURFZ: *Will we see your creations in some of the famous department stores or you prefer

exclusivity?

SYLVESTER FALATA: *Oh definitely! That's my dream. Saks, Harrods you name them. I think it's written in the sky. It'll obviously happen at the right time.

JERRYPURFZ: Where can readers buy your clothes/ How can they

SYLVESTER FALATA: *Our range is available at

Bello Couture

Shop No H117 High Street

Melrose Arch

011 070 7996

And

Maponya Mall

Shop No 331 Entrance 1

011 070 7718

And we also have a gowns to hire at the the Couture Closet at the Lifestyle Studio

Cnr Corlett Drive and Atholl Oaklands

011 051 9267

GET AN UPGRADE FROM YOUR TEDIOUS COLOR BLOCKING AND SPRING INTO SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE FRESH YET SO SUBTLE… AND THE WORD? PASTEL HUES OR PASTEL COLORS IF YOU WILL!

Simply put, pastel hues is just the pale side of your favourite bright colors –Think candy pink, lavender, sky blue and mint green - many call it “ice cream colors”. To make things simple I have classified my analogy into both his and hers perspective.

The pastel rule is: to mix and match pastel colors with striking bright colors. So your bright and aggressive color blocking themed clothes may not be completely a thing of a past… Add a few colorful items to complement your pastel colors. You’ll also be forgiven to add a dash of Neon color to your repertoire. The idea is to make it look like a palette of colors with varying degrees from top to bottom. And yes, top to bottom must be the sequence – Start with your pastel colors from head and finish your look with a striking bright or neon colors: see images below for a hint.

Jerry-Purfz-Pastel-Color-Styling

Looking at these ladies, you’ll realize they began their look with pastel hues and ended with a punch of a striking bright color with their shoes. You’ll also see they broke the pastel hue by accessorizing with bold-colored handbags. This is the safest sequence to follow unless you are a non-conformist like me, and you are not shy to spot a concoction of color variants with no order like the examples below:

Jerry-Purfz-Styling-Tips

Carefully selected pastel hues can also work well single-handedly – Meaning you don’t always have to throw in a dash of a striking color item to finish your pastel look. Examples shows you can still get away with looking “pale” all-round, whether it’s skimpy or long summer dress, shots and peplum top, a light weather shirt and chinos and may shots for men, it’s all doable. See examples below.

POUR HOMME…

Accessorizing with pastel colors: Bags, shades, belts, colorful jewelry beats etc. Bright neon colors or not? Well let’s take this into perspective. As I have indicated before, whether you are rocking a palette of colors or just spotting plain pastel hue look, choosing your accessories must be a careful exercise to avoid ruining the whole outfit. The rule is very simple; if it’s a complete pastel look, break away with a colorful headgear, darker shades, man’s bag and even colorful pair of shoes "pour homme" (For Him). Ladies have abundance of items to compliment the look, from make-up, neon bright manicure, handbags, waist belts, earrings you name it!

Now, shrug off that whole color blocking craze and wow your friends with pastel colors.

Yours in fashion

Jerry Purfz

Fashion Designer/Stylist/Critic - South Africa.

Friday 21 June 2013

Jerry Purfz"s (Blogger) contact details.

Sylvester Falata: The Drive, Passion and Fashion!

Sunday 13 January 2013

PASTEL COLOR FOR SUMMER - SPRING 2013