Durban fashion designer Kireshen Chetty takes home prestigious fashion innovator award
DRAMATIC COUTURE
Themba Mthethwa, Foschini’s head of customer experience and operations; Kireshen Chetty; and councillor Mncedsi Nxumalo, a member of the eThekwini Municipality’s economic development committee.
Image: Supplied
IN AN INSPIRING showcase of talent and innovation, Kireshen Chetty, a self-taught designer, clinched the prestigious 2025 Fashion Innovator Award at the Durban Fashion Fair (DFF) Recognition Awards.
The awards were recently held at the Durban Exhibition Centre.
Chetty said his decision to focus solely on his passion for dramatic fashion paid-off, with his latest collection encapsulating not just his artistic vision, but also a part of himself.
“People try to fit you into a box. Long ago, I realised that I wasn’t going to do ready-to-wear fashion. People aren't going to come to me for a simple cocktail dress or shorts and a shirt. They’re going to come for more dramatic couture.
“So, this year, I decided that I wasn’t going to sell myself short. I went all in. For me, it wasn’t about winning an award, it was about showing what I love. So much of me went into this collection and I think that’s why it turned out the way that it did,” he said.
Chetty, who is an architect and lecturer, said his love for fashion and innovative designs grew during his humble childhood in Pietermaritzburg.
“My father ran a construction business while my mother, who had studied fashion design, made a large portion of the family’s clothing. As I grew older, I always altered my clothes to get a better fit. Then I started making things for my sister, a few of my cousins and friends. However, having studied and established myself as an architect, I pursued fashion as a hobby.”
A design from Chetty's collection.
Image: Supplied
Chetty said upon being invited by the Max School of Fashion at Gateway to showcase a small collection, he developed his first formal collection which had a strong Eastern-influence.
“The collection featured saris and punjabis. I used recycled fabrics such as vintage saris, and other recycled and upcycled items.”
In addition, Chetty won the JSE Young Designer of the Year award in 2011.
He said as he got to know more people in the fashion industry, he struggled with mixed messages, including being told that as a self-taught designer without a formal design qualification, he could not participate in the Fashion Weeks taking place around the country.
A design from Chetty's collection.
Image: Supplied
Chetty said he instead began designing for various horse racing events, including the Durban July where he won a number of awards between 2014 and 2018.
He said his work also featured on television shows such as Top Billing and SABC’s Espresso.
Chetty said he was invited to participate in the DFF as an emerging designer in 2016.
He said since then he has showcased a collection every year, except when he participated and was chosen as one of the top three in the reality television show Project Runway South Africa in 2018.
“When I started with the DFF in 2016, I was a lot younger and was still learning. It was a process and we are still evolving. However, you realise just how amazing it is as nowhere in South Africa is there a similar platform available. They do everything for us, from show production to lighting.”
Chetty added that he would continue showing collections at the DFF, and leveraging both energy and creativity through the strong relationships forged around the event.