Not far from where she does new moon beach cleanups in Muizenberg, Aaniyah Omardien spent her happiest times as a child. “On hot days, my mother would pack a picnic supper and we’d go to Dalebrook tidal pool in Kalk Bay to have long swims…
For anyone with a modicum of respect for life, it is upsetting to watch the PETA video about mohair farming in South Africa. The sound and visuals of goats in distress are powerful and emotive. The video makes a call for a ban on mohair. But…
https://vimeo.com/110161344 After watching the River Blue my attitude to water, and to my wardrobe has changed. Yours will too. The Vancouver-produced documentary is a sobering look at the fashion industry and how it has prioritised profit over planet. The film, released in 2017, takes you…
You’ll remember Bolt Threads from a striking yellow dress designed by Stella McCartney last year. She used a spider silk grown in Bolt Threads' laboratory. The fabric innovators this week introduced the world to its second new-generation material. Called Mylo, it is “the first commercially…
Fashion has long been inspired by nature. Signs of the relationship are everywhere: you'll find fauna and flora inspired textile design, references to nature in shape, images and silhouettes... Sometimes a copy isn't good enough, the animal itself is used. When the curator of the…
The world’s consumers want cheap clothes and fast fashion. Because of its size ($2.5-trillion a year) and low skill requirements, clothing manufacturing is a large employer of low-skilled workers globally. In SA, 9.2-million people need employment, but the clothing industry currently employs fewer that 100,000…
The SA Eco Film Festival, which opened on Thursday night with the invitation-only screening of Jane, is presenting its longest list of international feature films in its five year history. The festival's content-rich and diverse programme covers sustainability, fashion, ecology and social justice activists, with…
For over a decade, South African retailers have considered domestic clothing manufacturers too expensive for their businesses. They have been on a hungry hunt for the cheapest possible solutions first in China, then in Mauritius Madagascar, Bangladesh and so on… But in this search, the…
At Our Workshop in Langa you can learn to make new things using old things. Designer Heath Nash created this free shared studio space where anyone can get together with everyone there and spend time sharing knowledge and making stuff. You can learn from Anele…
Mozambican photographer, Mário Macilau, has been documenting the lives of people who live off the Hulene garbage dump in Maputo for many years. Due to heavy rains a week ago, the massive heap collapsed burying neighbouring homes and killing at least 17 people. The Daily…
Design Indaba starts tomorrow with another sensational line-up of creative artists and designers who will talk about innovative ways we can design ourselves out of our self-made problems and into a brighter and kinder future. TWYG combed through the list of speakers looking for those…
Vegetarianism and veganism are becoming more popular. Alternative sources of protein, including lab-grown meat, are becoming available. This trend away from farmed meat-eating looks set to continue. From an environmental perspective and a welfare perspective, that’s a good thing. But how far should we go? Would it be good if the…
Our oceans are under threat. Be it pollution, destruction of ecosystems, overfishing, ocean warming and acidification, humankind has been damaging the seas. These women know what needs to be done to clean up the mess Hanli Prinsloo Hanli is a freediver and the founder of…
A small boy hauls enthusiastically on his fishing rod. The line flies up and a needle-spined fish strikes him in the eye. Desperate to stay outdoors, he ignores the pain, but his sight deteriorates over the following months. He continues to pursue his love of…
Technological advances and historically unprecedented income inequalities have raised living standards while enabling a new global elite to enjoy lifestyles more lavish in energy consumption and environmental impact than those enjoyed by any aristocracy in the past. Real-life illustrations of elites show the excesses afoot.…