Johannesburg - One of South Africa's biggest and much-loved cultural gatherings, Cotton Fest, has announced the launch of the Cotton Fest Creative Programme, aimed at giving back to students in the community while creating various outlets to empower young creatives to succeed in their studies and careers.
Having recently kicked off, the programme selected three leading AFDA students from Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, for bursaries funded by Cotton Fest and its longstanding partner, PUMA, to cover the shortfall of their tuition fees and assist them to graduate.
The team decided to further build on the late rapper Riky Rick’s legacy by creating a platform to support creative students in year one.
"We are extremely excited to have the privilege to assist young people achieve this huge milestone in their educational journey," said Riky’s wife, Bianca Naidoo.
"When we started Cotton Fest, the idea was not just to have a once off concert, but to do so much more for the culture as a whole, and moreover offer support within the community. Now with the additional financial injection from PUMA this year, we were finally able to make the Cotton Fest Creative Programme a reality and action this support."
The programme is set to run annually and welcomes the support of other corporations and financial institutions to step in and assist.
Cotton Fest also collaborated with the popular fashion brand to launch the new PUMA x Cotton Fest F.C. collection. The collection was designed in collaboration with fashion-savvy rap artist, and inspired by the sport aspect of the festival’s "University of Cotton Fest" collegiate theme.
The organisers said the collection’s DNA was rooted in 90’s football jerseys that have become iconic and revered fashion statement pieces.
The capsule collection is supported by an exciting marketing campaign featuring Bianca, Riky’s kids Maik and Jordan, and his brothers Themba, Toby, and Sheikani, alongside the rest of the Cotton Fest fam.
"Our family fully endorses the campaign, especially with regards to the bursary and giving back to students. We are also excited about the range coming to life finally, and ready to go to market," said Naidoo.
The Star