About Izelle van der Walt

After matriculating in 2000 I decided to study fashion design and marketing at Allenby (now Damelin).  I started my studies in 2003 after working for 2 years and promptly made my mark at the annual inter-college fashion show of 2004 by winning the Best Designer award out of 3 campuses.  In 2004 I had the opportunity to enter the Bridex Young Designer Competition and successfully designed the winning gown, which was featured at several charity events and received wide acclaim.  In this same year I also graduated with honors and decided that it was time to enter the business world.

In 2005 a fellow student and I started a small business together providing matric farewell and evening dresses with the occasional wedding and bridesmaid dresses.  2005 was a year of competition for me and I entered the new Bridal Africa Young Designer Competition and made the Top 10 finalists.  I also entered the Miss Earth National Costume Design Competition and won, my dress was the official dress worn by the South African representative at the Miss Earth International Competition hosted in the Philippines .  2006 was a very prosperous year and our new business won Small Business of the Year at the Small Business Awards in Boksburg.  That same year I was in 3rd place in the Miss Earth National Costume Design Competition. 

After a busy year I started 2007 with a bang and was asked to sponsor a costume for the International Miss Earth Competition.  It was also a transitional year and I had decided to start my own label.  My partner and I ended our business relationship on good terms and decided we should take the opportunity to start our own businesses.  2008 saw the birth of Isabella Angel Couture.  I started working on building a portfolio that reflected my values of pure angelic elegance as a designer. 

2010 saw me revisit the Bridal Africa Young Designer Competition in which I got 2nd place with a magnificent wedding gown. The dress was inspired by the desserts of the Middle East and took over 267 hours to make.  The future of Isabella Angel Couture is very bright and will live up to the saying: “If you can dream it, I can create it!”