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Durban Fashion Fair Designer Intern - Daniel Panton
Durban Fashion Fair Designer Intern - Daniel Panton
Date: 2015-08-14
Westville based designer, Daniel Panton, whose brand Effigy Fashion Design was showcased on Durban Fashion Fair ramps last year, says his visit to Milan as an intern really expanded his mind.
More specifically, he says the internship enabled him to learn about the importance of communicating his brand and gave him a great deal of insight into "the business of clothing." This is of particular value as he believes that the most challenging aspect of establishing himself as a designer in Durban is finding and establishing a constant flow of clients.
He heard about the DFF via friends who were modelling in the shows as well as through the extensive advertising in the city. The show in which he participated has left its mark as, he says, it was organised to perfection and gained a great deal of media attention.
Panton studied at the Durban University of Technology - and his decision to study fashion was inspired by an obsession with clothing as a child. It was a natural progression to do fashion, he explains.
He designs ladies wear and says his work features dramatic silhouettes. His favourite colour palette is monochromatic and his style is creative and sportswear inspired. It is fitting, then, that the favourite item that he has designed is a pearl vinyl flair jacket that he made for Durban July Young Designs.
He says that the latest shift towards gothic sportswear has been a massive influence for both him and his work.
Paton says his favourite local designer is Suzaan Heyns because she "pushed the boundaries of what fashion is in South Africa. When asked which local and which international celebrity he would most like to dress, Panton replies Unathi and Twigs respectively.
He does design his own clothes. "I am a mirror image of what my work is about," he explains.
When not designing, he says he takes time out in a number of ways. "I shop at the I Heart Market and at Gateway. I love eating bunnies on the beach front. I play in Davenport Road and I chill at the Shongweni Farmers Market on the weekends."
When asked to name five things about himself that most people don't know, he replies - "I love everything black, I'm obsessed with the clothes that homeless people wear, I act like I hate all reality TV but I watch it every day and love it, I don't find any comedy funny and I believe ghosts are real."
Catch his work at the 2015 Durban Fashion Fair on Thursday, August 27. Tickets available at computicket.
