Johannesburg, 24 February 2011 - Zanele Ncane, the winner of the prestigious 16th Annual Vukani Fashion Awards 2010, is on her way to an international fashion and entrepreneurship internship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The prize, sponsored by the Dad Fund, was one of the highlights of winning the fashion award, held in May 2010.

On Friday, 25th of February 2011, Zanele embarks on a 14 hour flight across the seas to commence her programme.  This programme has been arranged by the Dad Fund, for Ncane to be placed in the NGO “Barriera do Vasco”, where she will assist the samba schools in creating the elaborate garments for the biggest show on earth, the Rio de Janeiro Carnival. She will also work with established and well known Brazilian designers, Sol Azulay and Patrizia D’Angelo.  

 
By way of design experience, Sol Azulay was the owner of a famous Brazilian fashion store called “Yes, Brazil”.  At present, Sol runs an independent brand called Le Modiste, and this is a much more exclusive brand that specialises in fashion and decoration.  

 
Patrizia D’Angelo, is a fashion designer and art producer who has worked for several years as the main fashion designer for the best beach wear brand – “Blue Man”.  She later opened her own design house and brand, called Miquelina, and now produces art shows in Brazil.

 
“The reason Zanele has been placed in these organisations, and being encouraged to shadow these great designers is so that her career as a designer is enriched by the distinct Brazilian culture and fashion.  Ideally, Zanele should be adding a bit of South Africa to everything she will work on over the coming 6 weeks,” said Lyndon Barends, Founder and Director of the Dad Fund.

 
Zanele will have the opportunity to work on the largest and most exciting showcase of fashion and art that hits Brazil each year – the Rio Carnival, which will be hosted from 5 to 10 March 2011.

 
On her arrival in Brazil, Zanele will be put through an intense one-week Portuguese class, before she is placed for her internship.  The basic language skills she learns in this class should equip her to communicate easily in Portuguese while she is in Brazil.
 
“This is the first time that the Dad Fund has sponsored the Vukani Fashion Awards with a prize of this nature,” said Sonwabile Ndamase, President of SAFDA and patron of the Vukani Fashion Awards.  “We are very excited about Zanele’s trip – she will definitely represent us well, and she will return in time to share her experiences with the next group of Vukani finalists for 2011.”

“I am very excited and so grateful for this once-in-a life time opportunity,” said Zanele.
 
Zanele is due back in South Africa on the 8 April 2011.

 
About Zanele Ncane
Zanele Ncane is a 21year old fashion designer, hailing from Umbilo, KwaZulu Natal. She completed a National Diploma in Fashion and Textiles at the Durban University of Technology. Her vibrant and unique designs are set to take the fashion scene by storm.

About Dad Fund
The Dad Fund is a nonprofit organization that focuses on youth development and education through providing local and international bursaries, local and international internships, entrepreneurship programs, educational programs and community projects.

The Dad Fund was started in 2003 by Lyndon Barends (former director at Standard Bank, former CEO of Olympic Committee of SA) in honour of Daniel Arthur Douman (DAD) who was an outstanding community leader. He touched the lives of many while serving within the SA educational system and his personal character attributes are those that the fund would like to promote in the youth of today.

About SAFDA / Vukani! Fashion Awards
The South African Fashion Designers Agency (SAFDA) was founded in 1988 was initiated as an association seeking to support designers in the country. As the fashion industry structure began to change in the country and with the advent of the fashion councils as representative bodies, SAFDA re-evaluated its mandate, becoming an agency with a sharper focus on young fashion designers.

The Vukani! Fashion Awards, now in its 17th year, is a project that takes place over a period of 12 months on an annual basis. The awards competition takes place every year in May. The cycle is divided into three phases, firstly recruitment and build-up; then development of young fashion design finalists and finally a fashion-led entrepreneurship development.

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