PERHAPS you could pick it up intuitively from my photograph alongside this article, but for the sake of brevity and to cut to the chase, let me say it up front: I am a fashion development consultant.
The 26 years I’ve spent on this planet have been a mixed bag of thrills and challenges. They began in the sleepy town of Potchefstroom, meandered through Saudi Arabia and New York, and finally home for a pit stop.
Options for coloured boys have been limited to being tradesmen but I had other ideas. My first passion was dance. I dedicated 10 years to dancing competitively until my matric year. I had enrolled in medical school but as the time drew nearer, I realised it wasn't for me.
A trip to the airport started me on my adventure. I have a vivid memory of seeing Air France cabin crew checking in for a flight. I was spellbound by how professional, well-groomed and friendly they were. I greeted the captain and he replied “Bonjour, monsieur”. That’s when I knew I wanted to travel the world as cabin crew. After completing my license, I landed my first job at a company contracted to an airline in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. After a year, I returned home and spent another four years flying before I took a job on the Blue Train.
It was here that I met an American couple who offered me a job in the US. This was my defining moment. I encountered many fashion guru’s who noticed my fashion sense and encouraged me to develop it. I was privileged to be afforded an opportunity to study at Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in California and Parsons in New York.
While studying, I interned with renowned designers Kerry Cassill and Amy Young. They made significant contributions to my education in fashion. Having spent four years in America, a close friend said to me: “What good is building in another country, when you have nothing at home?” I returned home at the end of 2012.
So what have I learned and how can it improve my country? First, designers in the US focus significantly on managing their business.
I soon realised how disjointed the local fashion industry is, especially in terms of development. Designers are basically left to fend for themselves until they are established enough to participate in the prestigious fashion weeks. It was from this that the Designer and Agent Africa Showcase was born in 2013.
My business partner Geneve Kroutz and I adapted the model for an international show, Designer and Agent Showcase, to suit the South African development agenda. This created a much-needed business platform for emerging designers seeking markets for their products.
The lack of business skills became apparent among local designers. We teamed up with a lecturer from the University of Johannesburg to provide business management training with a specific focus on costing. Many designers were moving product while not actually making a profit.
We also noticed that many emerging designers focused on haute couture, which has a small, niche market. We believe the answer is commercial ready-to-wear, which has a much broader market.
The novelty of European fashion is slowly wearing off for the African consumer. We want clothing that in some way acknowledges our heritage, whether it be culture or body types. This provides a unique opportunity that only local designers can truly take advantage of.
Ironically, a few years ago, Ndebele prints were a serious rage in Europe.
We need to ensure that we are the beneficiaries of such successes.
I am excited by the quality of talent we have in this country. My hope is that, as a fashion industry, we don’t conform to what has come before but that we chart our own course. This is a great time to be an African.
Morwick Pietersen is a fashion development consultant, and works in collaboration with Designer and Agent Africa.