Two TUT Fashion Design students reach Top 20 of prestigious Pierre Cardin Young Designers Award

Two students from the Tshwane University of Technology's Faculty of Arts and Design have secured a place among South Africa's most promising emerging designers after being selected as finalists in the Pierre Cardin Young Designers Award 2026 Johannesburg Edition.

Bofelo Endy Senonohi, an Advanced Diploma Fashion Design student, and Priscilla Raphela, a Postgraduate Fashion Design student, have been chosen as two of only 20 finalists from across the country to compete in the prestigious competition.

The award, which celebrates creativity, innovation and forward-thinking design, offers finalists the opportunity to showcase their talent on a national stage while engaging with the legacy of renowned French fashion designer Pierre Cardin, known for his futuristic aesthetic and groundbreaking approach to fashion.

Reimagining tradition through futuristic design

For Senonohi, the competition provided an opportunity to explore the intersection of cultural heritage and contemporary fashion through a collection titled Circular Forms.

Drawing inspiration from Botswana's traditional visual culture, the collection investigates the geometric forms found in the sun, traditional basket weaving and indigenous architecture. Rather than replicating these cultural symbols directly, Senonohi reinterprets their shapes, textures and structures through contemporary womenswear.

The collection reflects Cardin's legacy of futurism, geometric construction and avant-garde design while demonstrating how fashion can become an architectural expression through volume, proportion and structure.

"Ultimately, Circular Forms is about viewing the familiar through a futuristic lens," said Senonohi. "It brings together cultural inspiration, architecture and innovation to create fashion that is expressive, experimental and forward-looking."

Senonohi described being selected as one of the country's top 20 student designers as both an honour and a valuable opportunity for growth.

"The opportunity represents more than recognition. It is a chance to grow, evolve and demonstrate how my perspective as a young designer with a Batswana background can contribute to broader conversations about innovation, identity and the future of fashion," Senonohi said.

Finding inspiration in nature and resilience

Raphela's collection, CASCADE: Organic Futurism, explores how natural structures can influence the future of fashion design.

Inspired by mushrooms, particularly their caps and gills, the collection examines natural geometry, texture and volume while drawing deeper meaning from themes of healing, renewal and resilience. Through sculptural silhouettes, exaggerated proportions and layered details, Raphela transforms organic forms into a futuristic fashion language.

The collection comprises three distinctive looks that play with the relationship between structure and fluidity, fitted and voluminous silhouettes, and bold colour contrasts.

"CASCADE: Organic Futurism is about treating nature as a starting point for questioning and reimagining fashion," Raphela explained.

For Raphela, reaching the finals carries a particularly personal significance.

She revealed that she stepped away from fashion to care for her grandfather during his battle with cancer. Conversations with him during that period ultimately inspired her to return to design and enter the competition.

"Going to Paris would mean carrying my grandfather's spirit with me, as though he were travelling beside me," she said. "It would be a significant step in rediscovering my creativity and continuing the journey I have been trying to build."

A gateway to international fashion

The winner of the Pierre Cardin Young Designers Award will receive a coveted three-month internship at the Pierre Cardin studio in Paris. The prize includes return flights, accommodation, a meal stipend, an internship salary and mentorship from the studio's design team.

The winner will be announced at The Forum Hyde Park on 21 October.

Priscilla Raphela Bofelo Endy Senonohi