Fashion by the Sea ...

Durban-born designers put on a homecoming showcase at the Moyo Pier on the  city's Point Waterfront.

With two rows of chairs on either sides, this was probably the longest runway South Africa has seen since David Tlale's Nelson Mandela bridge extravaganza earlier in the year. Models swayed, while waves crashed beneath us, in creations from some of the country's most critically acclaimed designers including Gavin Rajah, Craig Native, Craig Jacobs, Malcolm and Christiaan of Kluk CGDT as well as Dax Martin.

Gavin Rajah showcased dresses embellished with green ruby-like stones, black sequins, feathers on others and an embroided flower pattern on one strapless body hugger. Others featured paisley-embroided patterns on the midriff of gowns that were tulle from waist down with a mesh, long sleeve top.

"You can go all over the world and have great reception, but coming back here; there's somethng very authentic about the way people are," said Rajah, in reference to his native town, where he was showcasing  for the first time since the years of the now-defunct Durban Fashion Week. This was also his first showing in South Africa since 2009.

"I didn't want to showcase a ready to wear collection," he adds, "(This is) a collection I am very proud of because it got great reviews in Paris."

Named "Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces", Rajah says the collection was updated to befitt the occassion, something also done by Kluk CGDT who showcased their collection from Joburg Fashion Week earlier in the year. It was the same collection that they took to Nigeria, where they won the 2011 Designer of the Year award and were chosen to be among five African fashion houses to showcase in New York this September.

The collection, as some of you will recall, is not only elegant, but exuberant with colour and print with a near-regal composition in both fit and fabrication.

Craig Native reached into his archive to display a collection of funky streetwear with lots of African-inspired print.

"When I went through my archives it was amazing to see how there was a thread of sorts. It's from ten years worth of design, but I still managed to pull it together into a collection," says the Cape Town-based, Durban-raised designer.

At Fundudzi by Craig Jacobs we saw an abundance of colours ranging from pink to orange, green, black and purple. The evening wear collection featured multifaceted designs in a variation of fabrics that included cotton, silk and chiffon. There was also a generous offering of printed fabrics.

Says event organiser Simphiwe Tshabalala; "This is only just the beginning of what we foresee to be a continuous event that highlights and acknowledges what the city of Durban has to offer. In future, we hope to include music, the arts and other creative fields, but this year the focus is on fashion."