Opinion Archives

An Open Letter on Textile Fibre Indexes

At the crux of the ecological and social crises are many conflicting ideas about how to address challenges in order to affect change. As the fashion and textile sector as a whole seeks to navigate this perplexing terrain, strategies and...

July 25, 2022

Don’t look Up! has a surprising amount to tell us about economics, much of it useful

Opinion

Don’t look Up! has a surprising amount to tell us about economics, much of it useful

In the new Netflix sensation Don’t Look Up, two astronomers, played by Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo Di Caprio, discover a massive comet heading towards Earth, and desperately try to warn the US president, played by Meryl Streep. Their hope is the...

January 12, 2022

“Seaspiracy” Review: Find out what’s fact, what’s fiction and what to do about eating fish

Opinion

“Seaspiracy” Review: Find out what’s fact, what’s fiction and what to do about eating fish

This week Netflix dropped it’s long-teased documentary, Seaspiracy, about an ocean in peril, drowning in plastic, pillaged by overfishing, and rife with all manner of lawlessness. And to a large extent, this is true. In fact, despite it’s rather sweeping...

March 30, 2021

20/20 VISION: Can fashion be faithful to sustainability?

Opinion

20/20 VISION: Can fashion be faithful to sustainability?

As a lover of words, meaty and meaningful, it pains me that so many “just-right” words have been overworked and overused to the point of becoming stale shadows of their former selves. There are countless examples of words being reduced...

March 23, 2021

20/20 Vision: Choosing community over convenience

Opinion

20/20 Vision: Choosing community over convenience

It’s not lost on me that I’ve been that person with the Prada sunglasses. Long before my other hallmarks – the beard or the red hair or the black tunics – I’ve had frames on my face. They had become...

February 1, 2021

How thrifting became part of the system that encourages hyper consumption

Opinion

How thrifting became part of the system that encourages hyper consumption

According to Thred Up, by 2030, the second-hand industry is predicted to replace fast-fashion. Thrifting is a term that has become part of our everyday language. A few decades, or even a few years ago, this word would be mistaken...

January 18, 2021

Opinion

The Twyg manifesto

We’ve compiled a manifesto as a guide to our content creation – it’s an open-ended, living guide to our editorial journey that is of unfolding learning. Care Caring for people and the planet are fundamental to everything we do. In...

January 12, 2021

Ranked: the impact of five different soft drink containers

Opinion

Ranked: the impact of five different soft drink containers

People are increasingly aware of the harm plastic waste causes to wildlife, and many would avoid buying single-use plastics if they could help it. But are the alternatives to plastic much better? Let’s look at one example – fizzy drinks....

December 28, 2020

Do you know what “biodegradable”, “compostable” and “organic” mean?

Opinion

Do you know what “biodegradable”, “compostable” and “organic” mean?

Do you know what the differences are between the terms “biodegradable’, “compostable” and “organic” are, and what they mean for packaging? These terms are generally thought to be universally good for the planet. Yet, they simply describe a material’s property,...

December 15, 2020

Q&A: Ceramicist Lungiswa Joe channels her heritage through clay

Opinion

Q&A: Ceramicist Lungiswa Joe channels her heritage through clay

Lungiswa Joe is a Cape Town ceramicist and the founder of the Inxwala Slow Market. While working at the Craft Design Institute, she was exposed to various creative mediums. It was the ancient medium of clay that captivated her. Lungiswa...

December 11, 2020

The festive season gift guide with a difference

Opinion

The festive season gift guide with a difference

It’s been two years since our last sustainable (anti-)gift guide was published, so we thought it well overdue to give it a refresh. This year it may be more important than ever, as COVID-19 has threatened the survival of our...

December 10, 2020

Opinion

How can we design wellbeing?

In anticipation of the Open Design Afrika festival, director of design education Fatima Cassim has penned her thoughts on how to design to innovate, educate and build resilient communities. The Open Design Afrika festival enables design-enabled social change and promotes...

October 23, 2020

Q&A with Jinae Heyns on how Matsidiso shoes take sustainable steps

Opinion

Q&A with Jinae Heyns on how Matsidiso shoes take sustainable steps

Founded in 2017 on a calculated whim, Jinae Heyns left her marketing career to co-found the ethical shoe brand, Matsidiso. Jinae had approached her mother-in-law about the family’s struggling dance-shoe factory which Jinae believed she could turn around. What makes...

October 9, 2020

Thankyou flips the system in a bid to change the world

Opinion

Thankyou flips the system in a bid to change the world

Have you heard about the Australian company called Thankyou? Not yet? You will soon. This company has come up with an audacious business model to “flip consumerism and change the world.” When co-founder and managing director of Thankyou, Daniel Flynn...

October 7, 2020

Opinion

Can cyberspace save fashion?

Fashion is approaching the future. With a sold-out virtual reality Circular Fashion Summit taking place this weekend and a well-received 3D Helsinki Fashion Week that took place a few weeks ago, it’s no surprise that many think fashion’s future lies...

October 2, 2020

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