New York-based visible mender, Kate Sekules, writes that decorative repair encompasses "a rebellion against the fashion status quo, a refusal to dress correctly, and thus a refusal to...
Fashion
4 Ethical underwear brands made in South Africa
Spring has sprung and for many it means a closet clean-out. When it comes to curating a conscious closet, underwear can be tricky. While your old drawers can be darned and mended, these...
Q&A: Denzel Vilakazi launched NESU as an expression of being African
South African designer Denzel Vilakazi studied Fashion Design at the Tshwane University of Technology. After placing second at the Sansui Summer Cup in Gauteng in 2017, the Edcon Group...
Exhibition of wearable art sews together parallel stories of Settler history
The opening of the Cuttings 1820 - 2020 exhibition, a tribute to South African women and their histories, is a fitting closing to Women's Month. The symbolically-charged collaborative...
Q&A: Cynthia Otiyo-Abila upcyles old jeans into funky, new ones
"Waste isn't waste until we waste it," says American rapper Will.I.Am. This sentiment is exactly what has inspired Cynthia Otiyo-Abila's new side project called ‘TRANSFORMATION DECLOTHED’....
Q&A: Ditiro Mashigo follows her dreams and grounds them in nature
Fashion and textile designer Ditiro Mashigo has a quiet confidence. Born in the Limpopo town of Lebowakgomo, Ditiro moved to Pretoria in 1994 where she graduated from the Tshwane...
Study reveals real value of South African fashion designers. Be pleasantly surprised
South Africa’s fashion designers, many of whom follow slow fashion principles, contributed at least R1 billion to GDP last year. They also show great potential to help rejuvenate...
Q&A: Jeanius Platform on becoming an artivist during lockdown
Langa-based designer and photographer Anele Cephus Nono launched his denim brand, Jeanius Platform, as a social movement in 2016. With friends, he started it to raise awareness about...
REEFER lights up its new branding with hemp sneaker
South African sneaker brand, Corks was the first of its kind in South Africa to release a shoe range made out of cork. Now, the company has launched its unisex hemp sneaker range on the...
Q&A: Floyd Avenue says an African way of life is the most eco-friendly
When asked what his top three eco-brands are, Floyd Manotoano responded, all things African. Here he tells us more about his influences, challenges and plans for the future.
South Africa’s coolest denim brand launches womenswear
Like many businesses during COVID-19, TSHEPO Jeans has innovated its operations. Besides his bricks and mortar boutique store and atelier at Victoria Yards in Johannesburg, designer Tshepo...
Q&A: Research Unit takes a long view on sustainability
Chad and Erin-Lee Petersen launched Cape Town-based utilitarian lifestyle brand, Research Unit in 2011. Nine years later, the couple showcased their debut womenswear collection entitled...
Lezanne Viviers: Imagine if plastic were as valuable as gold?
Johannesburg's luxury design brand VIVIERS Studio has reimagined plastic as a scarce resource. With plastic waste materials, creative director Lezanne Viviers has made a luxury trench...
Front row seats for everyone at the digital SA Menswear Week SS21
South African Menswear Week SS21 joins the global movement to showcase 18 fashion collections digitally this season. Co-founder of SA Menswear Week Simon Deiner is very excited. “We...
Onesimo Bam layers plastic waste to create his One I Am bag
Onesimo is a surface designer, artist and the founder of One I Am, a fashion brand that is about world making. His recycled plastic bag forms part of the five-part #RefashionPlastic...