Print
Competition
2020 — Meet our Winners
Congratulations to the winners of our first Print Competition: Glorinah Khutso Mabaso, and runners-up Primrose Charmz and Agrippa Hlophe.
Glorinah Khutso Mabaso
All three designers’ prints feature internationally in our Autumn/Winter 2021 collection, in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Agrippa Hlophe
Primrose Charmz
Watch the designers experience their prints come to life for the first time.
Launched in February last year, the Trenery Print Competition was born out of our mission to continue championing emerging creative talent and providing a unique opportunity to help young South African designers shine on a global platform.
“The entries surpassed our wildest imaginations,” says Senior Textile Designer Bree Dhaliwal, who worked with our designers to bring their prints to life. “Glorinah was chosen as the eventual winner, because her print is bold and eye-catching yet stays true to Trenery’s ethos of timeless, modern simplicity.”
Glorinah Khutso Mabaso
The Pretoria-based pattern designer, 31, creates abstract geometric designs that draw on her love of history and ancient civilisations.
Mabaso’s winning print, ‘Rain Maker’, utilises a combination of repetitive lines and circles to reflect raindrops running down a glass window. The design pays homage to the first Rain Queen, Maselekwane Modjadji, ruler of the Balobedu people from Limpopo (1800-1854). Modjadji was believed to possess mystical powers.
“She was a respected leader in an era when women were not given leadership positions in society,” Mabaso explains. “What I found really interesting and appealing was the fact that she could make it rain. What queen do you know of that can make it rain?!”
As part of her prize, Mabaso has won an allexpenses- paid trip to France to attend a two-week print, textile and design course at the Paris College of Art. Both runners-up – Charmz, 29, a bespoke surface designer from Cape Town, and graphic designer Hlophe, 31, from Durban – will each attend a tuition-paid local course to help further their design careers.
The repetitive lines and circles represent rain droplets running down a glass window. This pattern also signifies that the power of women in society is just as powerful as the rain in the cycle of life.— Glorinah Khutso Mabaso, winner,
‘Rain Maker’ print
From Design to Print
Our winner and runners-up had the opportunity to work one-on-one with our design team.
During their session, each designer was given insight into the step-by-step process involved in transitioning their designs into screen or digitally printed fabric, and finally into pieces for our new collection.
“You just never think that, one day, you [will share] something that you created – in your bedroom – with the whole world. It feels amazing,” Mabaso says. “I’ve never had a print placed on apparel before,” says Charmz. “It was a new experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.” Hlophe adds, “The process of working with the Australian design team was fantastic. I’m now thinking about fashion or textile design as possible career avenues. I’m very proud of what I’ve created!”
My print was inspired by a trip to the Golden Mile beachfront in Durban, where craftswomen sell Iziqhaza, an African ear plug worn by amaZulu [the Zulu people of Southern Africa]. That’s when I had the idea to translate similar patterns in a bold and interesting visual way.– Agrippa Hlophe, runner-up,
‘Gold Mile’ print
It’s a modern South African interpretation of one of our nation’s symbols, the Arum Lily, which summer travellers are likely to spot along our beautiful coastline or on a scenic hiking adventure.– Primrose Charmz, runner-up,
‘Arum Geo’ print
Shop the Winning Prints
Designer notes
Trenery is proud to support emerging South African artists and designers. Our limited edition capsule print collection features on tops, casual dresses and a statement silk scarf. Shop Rain Maker, Arum Geo and Gold Mile prints in store and online.