WINDHOEK-One of the top Namibian male designer, Lourens ‘Loux’ Gebhardt , also known as The Vintage Guru, is currently busy penetrating the international fashion market, while trying to promote his brand, ‘Loux – A gentlemen’s living’.
Loux, who is currently on a mission exploring South African, Kenyan, German and Italian fashions, and busy enhancing his fashion experience though education, says his main focus on visiting different international countries is to gain international knowledge as far as the fashion industry is concerned so that he come back to Namibia to implement and strengthen the Namibian fashion industry and take it to the next level. “Being a fashion designer I have gained experience in exploring variations in the design of experts with an intention to achieve empathy through networking with associate professionals on the international level. Currently I am based between South Africa, Kenya, Germany and Italy with the aim of getting an education and hands on experience from highly and well-trained and qualified mentors in the fashion industry,” says Loux
Loux adds that his biggest achievement being a male fashion designer is winning the Best Male Designer at Mercedes Benz African Fashion Festival in Ghana recently. And locally being part of Namibia Annual Music Awards (Namas) and designing Miss Namibia finalists’ garments. “The year 2014 has been viral to me in terms of designing.. I have been featured in many fashion magazines and news journals, both local and international, and had an opportunity to be part of three international fashion shows in South Africa, Ghana and Germany, as well being part of a premium exhibition and being nominated in the category of Premium Young Designer Awards at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week,” says Loux.
However, the difference between the Namibian fashion scenes and international ones is that the Namibian fashion industry is growing and the international markets has shown interest in her work. “As designers, we just need the support of corporate companies. Having travelled to both African and European countries, of course the fashion scenes in Europe are on another level, the reason being that those countries are developed,” he says.
Next year Loux is planning hosting his own fashion show as part of his university project, which he call “final show”, where fashion students will be showcasing their garments in range with the knowledge gained both on education and experience as per the requirements of Edexcel – an international British (UK) education system primarily designed to redress the perceived imbalances between their skills learned in the classroom, and resulting applications in the workplace.
Loux was born in Windhoek and attended his primary school in Karibib and moved to Windhoek where he did his secondary. He also did a short course in Internal Auditing at the University of Johannesburg while studying Accounting and Finance at the Polytechnic of Namibia where he recently graduated and obtained his Diploma. “Fashion has been a part of me since I was young, my parents always dressed my brothers and I in suits as we went to church regularly. I ended up loving suits and said to myself one day I would make myself a self designer suit. My dream came true, it was my first design and people loved it. So I decided to follow the career in fashion and design and the response has been overwhelming, both locally and more especially internationally,” Loux signs off.