Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe needs no introduction.
A medical doctor by profession, Dr Moloi-Motsep, a well respected business woman and philanthropist is one of the most recognised faces in South Africa.
As the Executive Chairperson of African Fashion International (AFI), she is on a mission to develop the country's fashion industry.
Johannesburg-based company AFI is a fashion, luxury and lifestyle business that promotes and supports African designers. Sponsored by Mercedes-Benz South Africa AFI owns and operates fashion week events such as the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Johannesburg (MBFWJ) and the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town (MBFWCT). In the fashion circles Dr Moloi-Motsepe is considered a style icon.
"As a young girl, dressing up was a favourite thing to do, like most people. I also grew up buying clothes that gave meaning to my personal style. But being in the industry, I am inspired by the creative work of our designers and am more interested in the business side of fashion. Commercial viability of the designers and the industry is key," she says.
AFI sought to open the industry to all South Africans and we have ensured that designers who could not have access to our platform due to lack of funds, are given an opportunity to showcase; she explains.
When is comes to competing with the international fashion market, although South Africa is making strides it is still perceived as a small industry, she says.
"There is a growing interest in our market hence the influx our international fashion labels. We do however have an edge in terms of creativity and AFI works hard with curating designers that can compete on an international platform," explains Dr Moloi Motsepe.
"The industry lost a lot of jobs with the influx of cheap imports. Government has done a lot to support the manufacturing sector, but more needs to be done to ensure improved environment for doing business e.g import tariffs on fabrics are the highest input cost for designers which makes it unsustainable for most designers. Some form of rebate could be looked into;"
"Marketing is a big part of promoting your brand and fashion weeks slots are very expensive for most designers, subsidies could be considered for designers especially those who export.
The fashion industry with its current 80 000 jobs can create many jobs directly and can grow back to its glory days of more than 200 000 jobs directly," she says.
"We need to be driving trends from the continent. The business of fashion also needs to be incorporated early on in the teaching. I believe that it takes a few years after college to really establish a fashion label," she says
"Young designers bring a freshness and different point of view to the industry. They are also key to the sustainability of the industry. AFI is working very closely with college graduates to help them understand the business side of fashion.
Many of these graduates are not ready to open stores and sell to consumers and we partner with them to give them a business perspective." adds Dr Moloi-Motsepe.
*Spring/ Summer Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Joburg will take place on August 10-13, 2016. Visitwww.africanfashioninternational.com for more info and the official Fashion Week schedule.