Celicases are the latest cellphone fashion trend. These little designer bags for holding your cellphone capitalise on the growing perception that a cellphone is an extension of its holder’s personality.

At the moment, they are right up there with Voodoo Charms, which are delightful little trinkets you hang from your cellphone, each one promising to protect you with a certain power.

Among the techno-empowered generation that is today’s youth, cellphones and their accessories have become the designer labels of the wireless industry.

It’s estimated that two billion people worldwide now use cellphones, which accounts for one third of the planet’s population. Research has shown that in some countries there are more cellphones than people.

And one of the industry’s greatest driving forces is a technology- fearless youth that are revelling in the most simple, convenient and entertaining ways to keep in touch with friends and family, stay updated on world news and entertainment, or download the latest music videos and ringtones.

The ringtone industry alone is now estimated to be a US$5-billion (about R35 billion) a year market.

Big brands such as BMW, Disney, Ferrari and Gucci have all released limited edition cellphones, most of them crafted by the world’s foremost designers.

Customisation, entertainment and communication are being thrown about  by industry experts as the key elements needed to capture and hold  the youth market.

And, as technology becomes less of a market differentiator among the big brands, content and customisation becomes more critical.

This explains why there are now even entire fashion shows, such as Fashion in Motion, created around showcasing the most creative products in the wireless arena.

In South Africa, the Vodacom Durban July lies at the heart of the cellphone’s transition from convenient to couture. >

Africa’s greatest horseracing event is one of the social events of the year, which is enhanced by the Vodacom Durban July Fashion Experience that brings together the thoroughbreds and young colts of the fashion industry.

The Vodacom Durban July Invited Designer Showcase highlights eight of the country’s top designers, who will this year be modelling their creations on the theme of Silk Safari.

This is another key element of the event, and taps into the raw, cutting-edge talent at the technikons, universities and design schools around the country.

This year, Vodacom is offering the prize of a lifetime for a young designer. The Vodacom Durban July Young Designer Award has been incorporated into all the fashion curriculums, and the winning student will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the London Graduate Fashion Week Show.

It’s events such as these that tap into the kind of micro-cultures cellphones have spawned.

At a Communications Forum hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2005, James Katz, the Professor of Communication at Rutgers University, declared, “Cellphones are changing cultural norms and values, and demonstrating consumers’ ability to modify and repurpose technology for their own use.

“I believe that cellphones, by allowing people to insulate their private interactions from the culture around them, will encourage a kind of ‘walled garden’ of micro-cultures that is complex, but exclusive.”

The ubiquitous nature of cellphones among the youth is highlighted by the fact that the majority of users place greater emphasis on the aesthetics and what this says about them than on certain technological elements.

“Fashion is extremely important to young people when buying phones. Studies have shown that young people prioritise how a phone looks over its battery life when shopping for cellphones,” said Katz.

Fact: In 1911 Nobleman, Madsan, Unemployed and The Colugo crossed the line with just three short heads separating them. A judge, without the assistance of a photo-finish camera, awarded the honour to Nobleman, the only two-year-old ever to win the race.  

Did you know? In the Vodacom Durban July on Saturday 7 July 2007 there will be 20 horses competing over 2 200 metres for R2.5-million. 

Did you know? IN 1897 The tote pool on the Durban Turf Club Handicap run over 1 600 metres at Greyville for a stake of 500 sovereigns was just 266 pounds.