She used to create window displays for shops - but Jane Elizabeth Kotze has come a long way since then. The 31-year-old Stellenbosch fashion designer showcased her work on a Joburg catwalk this week, and the collection won her a top fashion industry award. Kotze was this week named the winner of the Elle Rising Star Design Award, in association with Mr Price - a competition that saw eight designers from around the country compete for prizes that included R25 000 in cash and mentorships from Mr Price, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, the Elle fashion team and PR expert Savannah Erasmus. Kotze will showcase what she has learnt at a red-carpet fashion event, hosted by Elle, next year.

In a prior interview Kotze said she had been inspired by The Little Mermaid and her catwalk collection included scale-like sequinned clothing and coral and pastel colours. In her opening address on Thursday, Elle magazine editor Jackie Burger said the competition was about taking design to a business level. The finalists were judged on proposed business plans for their labels. Kotze said her presentation of the label Jane & Elizabeth "was about a label that had room to grow". She said she planned to establish a design co-operative where people would work together and share labour. Burger said of Kotze: "She has talent and she did her homework to produce a considered range and a brilliant business plan."