“These garments hold you, like they’ve held others before you.” Thulile Gamedze’s After Library invites us to wear memory, history, and meaning.
Ufrieda Ho
A global call to reduce the production of fashion and what this means for South Africa
With Black Friday around the corner, the global Speak Volumes campaign is asking consumers to count their clothes before buying more, and for brands to review their production numbers before they produce more. Billions of items of clothing and textiles are produced -...
Mbali Baduza is bridging communities and generations for a just transition
Having conversations that enlarge understanding and establish common ground is one way a climate activist uses to push for greater collective action.
Harvesting natural dyes with Botanical Nomad’s Ira Bekker
Dyeing from nature and given textiles the colours of the wild are what keeps the Botanical Nomad, Ira Bekker, walking in the woods.
Nigerian powerhouse Omoyemi Akerele champions African fashion and industry change
Nigerian fashion powerhouse Omoyemi Akerele talks about creativity, tough conversations the industry must have and why a willingness to change is non-negotiable.
Thabo Makhetha design nurtures your tribe
Sometimes Thabo Makhetha-Kwinana likes to take a long peek inside her mother’s closets. Those spaces hold stories of tradition and custom upheld in cloth; also reminders that her own history and heritage run through each thread. “When I look at some of those outfits I...
Will COP28 help the world kick its fossil fuel addiction?
Fossil fuels are the elephant in the room at COP28, the United Nations climate conference. It’s the big deal that will be in the small print when the final text from this year’s United Nations climate conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is released in the...
Artist Noluthando Lobese upcycles waste to reframe Johannesburg realities
There’s no such thing as waste without value, not for Noluthando Lobese. The visual artist and set and costume designer sees “waste” materials as toys and as invitations to play and create. Noluthando, also known as “Texture”, is an acclaimed creative who has worked...
Fashion prepares for a climate changed future
“Dressing for the apocalypse” has become only half-jest. A wardrobe built to cope in a world of record breaking temperatures, increased flooding or more unexpected icy cold snaps and fierce winds has become a modern survival necessity. Designers are adapting with a...
The Or Foundation shows us who carries the burden of fast fashion’s failings
There’s a denim jacket in Sammy Oteng’s wardrobe that he has a particular tender attachment to. It’s not that the jacket fits just right, or that it makes him feel a certain way when he wears it. It matters because it represents a personal turning point and the moment...