Sylvester Falata: The Drive, Passion and Fashion!

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