173:. In April 2013 Coetzee partnered up with Shout, the South African anticrime organisation and dedicated his Spring/Summer 2013 "sea urchin" collection to women victims of violence, in protest against the high levels of violence against women in SA society. Inspired by the protective, dangerous spines of the fragile sea urchin, he created 3D-printed spikes which embellished his garments symbolising armour-like wearable protection for women. Then for his "all pink" Auntumn/Winter 2014 SA Fashion week collection he dedicated it to
77:. In 2006, at the young age of 19, Coetzee was named South Africa's Most Promising Designer at the Cape Town Fashion festival. His first commercial venture was as partner in the Diamond Face Couture label with businesswoman Uyanda Mbuli which launched in 2006. He went on his own in 2010 and launched Gert-Johan Coetzee Pty Ltd at the age of 22. He has since shown his collections at South Africa Fashion week as well as showcasing his work at international Fashion Week shows in Canada at
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56:, North West Province. His love for fashion started at a very early age, and when he was in Grade Two he told his mother that one day he was going to be a famous fashion designer. He attended Koster primary school until Grade Four and then was home-schooled. As a young boy in school he used to dress his pencils up in tissue paper and by the age of sixteen he started studying at the North West School of Design. He graduated from NWSD in 2005.
177:. For this collection, Gert-Johan Coetzee partnered up with the organisation The Pink Drive, which is a mobile organisation that brings breast cancer awareness to the public and testing facilities via trucks with built in equipment. The message he wished to convey through this couture range is "take charge of yourself".
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Coetzee believes in "fashion with a conscience" and is known for using his platform and voice as a celebrity designer in the media to bring attention to social issues, mainly concentrating on women. Coetzee first launched this concept in
September 2012 when he met Thando Hopa, a prosecutor with the
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and whom he convinced to become the face of his new collection. Hopa had never modelled before but her appearance on the catwalk at SA Fashion Week in GJC caused a stir in the fashion industry. In the process GJC and Hopa raised awareness of the plight of people with albinism who still face
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on the technical side, to render and print three-dimensional embellishments to incorporate into the garments. Then in
October 2013, at the next SA Fashion Week, he looked to new technologies again and collaborated with photographer Nicole Phillips to captured his all-pink Autumn Winter 2014
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brand ambassador. Coetzee is interested in technological advances in fashion and constantly pushes the envelope in his collections. In April 2013 he was the first South
African fashion designer to utilise hi-tech 3D-printing technology in his SA Fashion Week Spring Summer 2013 "sea urchin"
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During
Coetzee's second year at college (2004) he won the High Fashion Award at the annual Vukani Awards. This is where he was spotted by the television personality Sandy Ngema. He dressed her for the red carpet at the
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superstition and discrimination in Africa. The partnership between GJC and Thando Hopa endures and she has since become a spokesperson for people with
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collection with never-before seen in South Africa time-slice fashion photography on an intricate set using 40 cameras firing simultaneously.
145:, Louise Carver, Doreen Morris as well as several influential women in politics and African royalty. Coetzee is also the first South African
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97:. Just a year into establishing his own label Coetzee achieved a celebrity coup when international TV stars Kourteney Kardashian (
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province. He specialises in couture red carpet gowns, he also designs ready-to-wear range . Coetzee is known for dressing
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121:, (in 2013, at the 40th anniversary of the Ms Foundation for Women in Beverly Hills, in honour of its founder
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499:"SA Fashion Week S/S 2013 [Day 3, Trio 3] Rubicon | Funduzi by Craig Jacobs | Gert Johan Coetzee"
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premier horseracing event that year and also went on to dress her for two seasons as presenter of the
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525:"Designer Gert-Johan Coetzee collaborated with photographer Nicole Phillips for a fashion timeslice"
32:(born 18 November 1987), is a South African fashion artist. His fashion atelier is based in Linden,
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125:. Coetzee has a long list of high-end clients and celebrities including such notable figures as
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109:) wore GJC dresses on the Hollywood red carpet. He subsequently also dressed soap opera star
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81:, Angola and Nigeria. His couture designs are worn at all major fashion events including the
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356:"Kourtney Kardashian In South African Designer GERT-JOHAN COETZEE Dress"
133:, Pabi Moloi, Tamara Dey, Lira, Liezel van der Westhuizen, Cindy Nell,
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89:. His gowns have been worn by presenters of popular TV shows such as
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Nicole
Phillips Studio f/64 Photography - Commercial Photography
555:"GJC – the social conscience Fashion activism on the catwalk"
439:"Kelly Rowland wore a Gert-Johan Coetzee dress in Hollywood!"
611:"Gert-Johan Coetzee brings anticrime message to the catwalk"
473:"Swarovski selects first South Africa brand ambassador"
279:"Meet Gert-Johan Coetzee SA's designer to the stars"
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and international celebrities at red-carpet events.
382:"Spotted: Kristin Cavallari in Gert-Johan Coetzee"
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586:"Albinism: Model Thando Hopa Fights Taboos"
221:"GJC – the entrepreneur-Going professional"
195:"Students and Graduates Achievements 2012"
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164:National Prosecuting Authority, who has
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60:Career and the Gert-Johan Coetzee label
150:collection. He collaborated with the
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408:"Fashion Genius Gert-Johan Coetzee"
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683:South African fashion designers
251:"Profile of Gert-Johan Coetzee"
99:Keeping Up with the Kardashians
16:South African fashion designer
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152:Vaal University of Technology
641:"Gert-Johan's heart of pink"
199:North West School of Design
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462:gertjohancoetzee.com, 2013
48:Early life and education
584:Crawford, Alex (2014).
437:Buick, Kirstin (2013).
175:breast cancer awareness
531:. 2013. Archived from
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414:. 2012. Archived from
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310:hautefashionafrica.com
306:"Diamond Face Couture"
79:Vancouver Fashion Week
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91:Strictly Come Dancing
75:Strictly Come Dancing
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615:gertjohancoetzee.com
559:gertjohancoetzee.com
331:"Gert-Johan Coetzee"
225:gertjohancoetzee.com
83:Durban July Handicap
67:Durban July Handicap
52:Coetzee was born in
621:on 12 December 2013
565:on 12 December 2013
335:safashionweek.co.za
285:on 12 December 2013
231:on 12 December 2013
535:on 18 January 2014
360:shaddersafrica.com
73:reality TV series
30:Gert-Johan Coetzee
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25:Gert-Johan Coetzee
115:Days of Our Lives
103:Kristin Cavallari
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123:Gloria Steinem
111:Arianna Zucker
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673:1987 births
255:bernina.com
135:Terry Pheto
129:Ambassador
95:Top Billing
667:Categories
651:12 January
625:12 January
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181:References
87:Miss World
645:you.co.za
443:you.co.za
147:Swarovski
107:The Hills
171:albinism
166:albinism
101:). and
38:Gauteng
647:. 2013
505:. 2013
479:. 2014
388:. 2013
362:. 2012
201:. 2013
127:Revlon
54:Koster
71:SABC3
653:2014
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