Booyzen's best in Women of the Year Corner Shop Category

She accepted her award at an event held in celebration of women and their role in the future of South Africa this weekend (Saturday, 24 July 2010) at Emperors Palace in Gauteng. The event will be broadcast during prime time on Monday, 9 August 2010 on MNet.

The other four category winners who were announced are Jackie Gallagher in the Educators Category, Lesley Ann van Selm in Good Neighbours, Sister Jane Munyadziwa Dzebu in Health Care-Givers and Khanyisile Motsa received the Award in the Youth Movers category.

Dr Mamphela Ramphele was awarded the Shoprite Checkers Women of the Year Lifetime Achiever Award after the public nominated her as an esteemed South African whom during her lifetime has inspired generations. She received R100 000 to donate to a cause which she believes will better the lives of South Africans.

Creating awareness is the aim

Receiving the Corner Shop to Big Business Makers Award, Booyzen, said the award is an acknowledgement of the impact that SA Fashion Week has had on the SA public at large.

She added: "Our aim is to create awareness in the minds of the SA consumer to the vast creative design resources that are available to them through our emerging design industry and the unlimited opportunities to create thousands of jobs through building SMME's and luxury brands which is the future of fashion in Africa".

Booyzen launched South African Fashion Week (SAFW) and she has managed and produced this first independent showcase for the country's fashion designers for the past 10 years. It has contributed substantially to the growth and future of the South African fashion industry locally and abroad.

Booyzen has developed a distinctive South African design ethos and culture through SA Fashion Week, which now also incorporates a number of initiatives to encourage skills transfer, foster new partnerships and support empowerment.

SA Fashion Week is presented twice a year in Johannesburg and consists of 30 shows in over 4 days with 14 000 people attending and includes an exhibition and a seminar where the focus is on business development and skills transferral. This is then followed with regional shows in Cape Town and Durban.

A platform for designers

Through SA Fashion Week Booyzen has created a platform for fashion designers to show their collections and network with the media, the industry and their clients. A formal buying arena during the week has developed and grown the local industry.

At the SA Fashion Week exhibitions new partnerships are enhanced and business potential is put to the test. Its benefits are not only limited to the fashion industry but include other fields of design such as jewellery, textile, and interior design. Networking and a sharing of ideas is encouraged and created the only Fashion Hub of its kind in Africa.

Booyzen has also introduced a SA Fashion Week mentorship programme where local designers are educated on marketing, stock control, selling and planning their ranges, and managing their budgets. This business fitness analysis empowered, motivated and changed the face of all participating designers, improving their output and minimizing their losses.

Fashion Fusion... proudly South African

A project close to Booyzen's heart is Fashion Fusion supported by the Department of Arts and Culture which has since inception six years ago expanded to all nine provinces involving more than 1000 crafters working with top designers to develop contemporary crafting components collaboratively to produce design-lead and uniquely South African products. It will see a roll-out to address the skills shortfalls in the SA design environment.

By winning this Award Booyzen received R30 000 in individual prize money as well as R100 000 towards the work she do for a better future in South Africa.

To ensure sustainability of this work the Shoprite Checkers Women of the Year Award has partnered with the WHEAT Women's Fund to help the winners manage the investment of the R100 000 for their projects.

The WHEAT Women's Fund is an organisation committed to achieving gender justice through supporting grassroots women's initiatives with investments, skills training and technical support. They help community-based organisations and projects to implement their outreach efforts and encourage accountability and good governance.