Why would PUMA, one of the world’s leading sports brands, collaborate with an 18-month-old South African design brand, which has in turn collaborated with an NPO? Not Just A Comb recently launched a...
Fashion
What will it take to fix our throwaway fashion habit?
Clothing in Britain is increasingly characterised by a high volume/low value approach to business. Judging by past precedent, consumers will discard some 680m items of clothing when they spring...
The couple wear upcycled outfits and traditional beading: is theirs the flyest wedding in Africa?
Is this the flyest wedding in Africa? When stylist and photographer Picha Marangi met Elizabeth Korikel in Turkana, a town in the northwestern part of Kenya, he found his creative soul mate. A...
What’s the Stitch? How to put fashion waste to good use
At Greenpop’s Reforest Fest last year, the crew wore T-shirts made from recycled plastic bottles. You're thinking "school design project". Or, that it is a T-shirt made from clear plastic scales...
Lesley Whitter of Convoy and Heart & Heritage talks business of fashion
Lesley Whitter, founder of Heart & Heritage label and of Convoy, has opened a new shop and studio space in Johannesburg. Ever since she launched Heart & Heritage in 2013, she’s been working...
How rental services make fashion more sustainable
Imagine. At the beginning of a new month, 30 or 31 outfits are delivered to your door by a rental service. Clothes and accessories are clean, the right fit for your body shape and styled to suit...
What’s The Stitch? About A Secondhand Revolution
It’s a new year and time for a ‘new you’, right? Maybe you’re starting a new job (I am!). Or lost your suitcase. Gained (maybe lost) some weight. Or just want a new look. You may need a few new...
Fashion Revolutionary is one of GQs 50 best-dressed men in South Africa
A Fashion Revolution activist is one of the top 50 best-dressed men in South Africa. GQ magazine recognized Cyril Naicker for his sharp local and sustainable style. We asked Cyril how he keeps up...
The environment takes centre stage at textile artist David Bellamy’s group exhibition
Except for its roof, David Bellamy’s single-storey cottage in the False Bay suburb of Muizenberg is hidden behind a wall of brick and plant. The bright turquoise roof looks like a neat brush stroke...
Designer and jeweller Roché van den Berg gives new life to old rubber
Giving new life to old and discarded rubber is what drives Paarl-based maker and creator, Roché van den Berg. She works magic with old rubber. She started her upcycling business Roche. Recycle....
What’s the stitch? How to shop, buy and wear to last
Here’s a quick thought experience. In your closet, what is the item you’ve had the longest? No cheating with wedding dresses or sentimental baby clothes - it needs to be an item you can or do still...
SA Fashion Week: Lucilla Booyzen’s labour of love comes of age
Everyone in the SA Fashion Week office in Rosebank is wearing black. Founder and director Lucilla Booyzen is trim, her neatly cut red hair lightly touches her shoulders. She wears a cardigan, black...
These yoga pants are made from recycled plastic bottles
Spiritgirl Active Wear, a South African brand, uses recycled polyethylene terephthalate bottles to create fun, yoga wear. Founded by Leigh Sarembock and Rochele le Roux in November 2015, they have...
This season’s jewellery is an ode to the ocean
Two new collections of jewellery, one released recently by SMITH Jewellery and the other by PICHULIK, speak to summer days and happiness, both feature seashells and refer to memories of the sea. At...
What’s the Stitch: Ready to take the vegan challenge to your wardrobe?
‘What’s the Stitch?’ is a new monthly column by Emma Jones-Phillipson about dressing sustainably in our modern age. She’ll pair critical insights into the environmental and social impacts of the...