The enduring matriarch of South African fashion stands tall and her accolade is somewhat overdue considering how her label has grown and exported the African aesthetic overseas.
In fact, as we chat about her win, Fassler tells me it's a regular working day at the office chasing deadlines and hoping for no power outages that would hinder productivity. She is preparing to leave for Europe today to deliver some orders.
"We are not drinking champagne after the fashion show because we have orders to process. Hopefully when I return I will find flowers," she jokes.
She says only friends and fans who follow her on Twitter were aware of her big win.
"I won't let it go to my head," she says. "But it's certainly great to have recognition and validation for the team to know that they work in an awarded environment."
Her vibrant collection was an explosion of colour, patterns and prints.
"Our show was generally well received," she reflects.
Fassler believes that even after 20 years she wouldn't rest on the proverbial laurels.
"My clients pay good money, I wouldn't let them down. We have a very defined brand DNA and all our manufacturing is in South Africa. Although one feels like giving up because of the negativity, but I like to project the beautiful potential that is South Africa. I have been unwavering in that and set my own standards."
She explains what is appealing to her customers. "It's very much an exclusive collection. It's one on one with our defined retail strategy. My clients would not go to shopping malls. I'm unashamedly South African with a global following."
While Fassler is one of the pioneers of local fashion, it took Rich Mnisi just six months in the game to claim his first major fashion accolade.
The 22-year-old fashion designer was the toast of the night at Africa Fashion Awards as the winner of the AFI Fastrack young designer of the year on Sunday.
Source: sowetanlive.co.za
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