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A DECADE OF GERT-JOHAN COETZEE
Forbes Africa
|March 2020
A fashion designer who believes you can never dream too big, Gert-Johan Coet-zee is revered as one of South Africa’s most celebrated designers; synonymous with his signature style, sophistication and panache.
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Gert-Johan doesn’t simply design dresses, he designs relationships and delivers dreams for his dynamic and esteemed clientele of women in Business, Entertainment, Politics and Royal African Families.
Fashion courses through Gert-Johan’s veins, and has been his passion since he was eight years old, designing dresses for his pencils, out of tissue paper. Over two decades later, his dedication to dressing women how they’d like to be addressed, has seen Gert-Johan rise to the top of his game in South Africa; dressing newsworthy women like Former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, Miss Universe 2018 Demi-Leigh Nel- Peters, Miss World 2014 Rolene Strauss, and Media Personalities Minnie Dlamini, Lerato Kganyago and Bonang Matheba, to name a few. His talent has an international scope of significant superstars including the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Kourtney Kardashian, Kristin Cavallari, Lauryn Hill, Kelly Rowland, Fantasia and Tiwa Savage.
A decade of designing is a formidable feat, as the Fashion Industry is fast-paced, and as an Entrepreneur in an ever-evolving environment; in order to achieve the commercial and creative success that Gert-Johan has enjoyed in his ten year tenure, requires passion, perseverance, determination and a delicate balance between business and creativity.
This story is from the March 2020 edition of Forbes Africa.
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