A call to wear SA on your sleeve

Cape Town-based designer Lara Klawikowski's wearable art.

Cape Town-based designer Lara Klawikowski's wearable art.

Published Mar 20, 2015

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Cape Town – Shopping centres across Cape Town will be holding fashion shows designed to encourage local consumers to buy South African clothing, leveraging the impact of the Cape Town Fashion Festival being held this weekend.

Designers, fashion die-hards and dabblers alike will have ample opportunity to see and support local fashion during a Wear South African campaign being organised by the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (Sactwu) at five shopping malls in the city over the next few weeks.

The first, an SA designers-only fashion show entitled “Eye on Earth Africa” is set to take place on March 21 at Tyger Valley Shopping Centre.

The Wear SA campaign, which urges citizens to “think, design and wear South African”, is timed to coincide with the 13th annual Cape Town Fashion Festival.

It is also partnering the Cape Town International Jazz Festival by co-hosting a “Fashion and All That Jazz” gala dinner on Thursday March 26.

Wear SA mirrors the larger purpose of the fashion festival: to make South African shoppers mindful of the real-life impact their purchasing choices have on the country’s economy and job market.

“The clothing and textile sector is an important contributor to our national GDP,” said André Kriel, general secretary of Sactwu. “But its sustainability continues to be threatened due to many factors, not least of which is the influx of poor quality, cheaper and illegal goods.”

Starting at noon, the one-hour fashion show in Tyger Valley is the first in a series of five. The others will be held at the V&A Waterfront on April 4; Cape Gate in Brackenfell on April 11; Liberty Promenade in Mitchells Plain on April 18; and Kenilworth Centre on April 25.

Designs by three college graduates – Caylin Willsnach, Zandalee Brooderyk, and Azara Amien – will join three Wear SA ranges – The Democracy of Denim, B-Zar, and Nine-Four – and the work of three other designers on the runways.

Pop singer and firm supporter of locally produced goods, Jimmy Nevis, will perform at some of the venues. “I’m pleased to be involved because as an artist, I’m creative. And I enjoy seeing the creativity of other types of artists displayed,” he said.

Attendance is free, and further details can be found at Wear SA’s website: www.wearsaofficial.co.za.

Since the launch of its campaign last year, Sactwu has opened three Wear South African stores that sell a range of men and women’s garments, textiles and leatherwear.

“As the consumerism trend switches from repetitive buying to purchasing quality and well-made classics that will last, the tide is turning and the local industry is once again starting to grow,” says Kriel.

Wear SA will also hold a “Fashioning the Future” workshop at the Cape Sun Hotel on Wednesday March 25, at which experts will consider the state of the fashion industry and offer first-hand tips for success.

Panellists will include Pnina Fenster, editor of Glamour SA fashion magazine and Cyril Naicker, creator of MyVogue South Africa, a television show that has examined the effects of cheap clothing imports on Africa’s clothing and textile manufacturing sector.

Graham Choice, chief executive of Prestige Clothing, designer Ernest Mahomane and Anita Stanbury, executive director of the South African National Fashion Council, will also contribute.

Anyone is welcome to attend the talk, although aspiring designers might find it particularly pertinent. For details and to RSVP, e-mail [email protected] or call 021 671 0506.

Doubling as the official precursor to the jazz festival, the gala dinner being organised with Wear SA will be held on Thursday at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The event will combine a three-course meal with a showcase of three emerging South African designers: Ernest Mahomane, Lara Klawikowski, and Ricci JvR.

Acclaimed singer Basia and Zoe Modiga will perform at the event. Guests who wear South African designs in keeping with the theme “earthly, trendy and chic” will be eligible for “most stylish man” and “most stylish woman” awards.

Tickets are priced at R5 000 for a table of 10, or R600 each. To buy, e-mail [email protected] or call 021 671 0506.

Cape Argus

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