This is the first column by Keri-Ann Stanton about sustainable marketing. We care about your sustainable business, and want it to be sustainable, so we'll be sharing more business tips and ideas...
Features
Here is why the circular economy needs to be just
The circular economy offers a fresh approach to how we produce and consume, focusing on reducing, reusing, recycling and recovering. It moves us away from the traditional “make, use, discard” model,...
Explainer: The pros and cons of exotic leather
Once a status symbol, exotic leather is now under fire – banned by major fashion weeks and dropped by luxury brands. But is it really worse than cow leather? And could bans cause unintended harm? Is...
Ella Buter has created a much-loved fashion brand with enduring appeal
In an industry dominated by fleeting trends and fast fashion, Ella Buter has carved out a space where timeless design, inclusivity, and thoughtful craftsmanship take centre stage. Her approach—slow,...
Q&A: Hamaji is a love letter to handcraft and heritage
Having grown up in Nairobi with a conservationist father and a botanist mother, Louise Sommerlatte has always had an appreciation for the beauty of the natural world. She founded her brand Hamaji...
Meet the fixer: Peggy Mandega is a turntable repair technician
The Fixer is a new series highlighting businesses or individuals who play a role in the circular economy by repairing and restoring the items we already own. As a salve to throwaway culture, fixers...
Explainer: Cost per wear and why your ‘cheap’ clothing is actually expensive
Fast fashion tricks us into thinking clothes are cheap – but if they fall apart after a few wears, they actually cost us more over time. Enter cost per wear (CPW). This is a simple way to rethink...
Conscious capsules are Mother of Gao’s slow fashion statement
Fast fashion teaches that creativity requires abundance. You have to have more to do more—more clothing, more trends, more newness. Refreshingly, South African slow fashion designer, Katlego...
There is soft power in contemporary textile art
Every time I visit the Investec Cape Town Art Fair, I make it my mission to seek out the textile art. In earlier years I had to hunt for these pieces, most of which were woven. More recently,...
Is Bianca Censori’s ‘naked dress’ a bold statement, or a product of misogyny?
Despite the many musical achievements celebrated at this year’s Grammy Awards, it was Bianca Censori’s red carpet appearance that won the award for most headlines. Walking the red carpet with her...
Explainer: The struggle for size inclusivity
Finding plus-size, sustainable fashion shouldn't be this hard. Many small brands struggle to expand their size range due to cost and expertise, while plus size shoppers are left with few options -...
Explainer: Counterfeit culture and why fakes threaten designers and our economy
If clothing is designed in South Africa, produced in South Africa, and inspired by the symbolism of Xhosa beadwork, shouldn’t South Africans - not counterfeiters - benefit from its success? Here we...
Now is not the time to go “back to plastics”
Plastics resource extraction, production, and use are out of control. This is what a group of renowned scientists have declared. Plastics are driving climate change, polluting our environment,...
Review: The Botterblom Collection by Frances VH Mohair Studio
To take in The Botterblom Collection is to take in a world. A world that deep down you know about but you also don’t know how you know this world. If you have ever been to the Karoo this may be...
If not Shein, what? Affordable, locally produced fashion, of course
We know price is a big factor when shopping for clothes. Many South Africans feel like the only options for fashion are imported ultra-fast fashion or expensive local brands. But that’s not true -...