Cape Town, South Africa — In Circulation, a temporary publishing installation that positions fashion as a cultural and civic practice, will launch at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair from 20 to 22 February 2026. Produced by Twyg and co-curated by copywriting studio Letterhead and MakeSpace by Wunders, the project takes the form of a contemporary newsstand dedicated to independent fashion publishing and material research.
At its core, In Circulation is an invitation to slow down. Rather than presenting fashion as image or commodity, the installation foregrounds reading and exchange. Visitors will encounter a curated selection of zines, pamphlets, posters and small-run publications that explore labour, materials, regional production and alternative systems within fashion. The focus is on ideas that move through hands and communities.
The stand blurs boundaries between gallery display and public infrastructure, positioning publishing as both an aesthetic object and a practical tool.
Curated by Twyg in collaboration with MakeSpace by Wunders and Letterhead, the newsstand structure is intentionally tactile and accessible. Printed matter is stacked and displayed for browsing, handling and taking away. The stand blurs boundaries between gallery display and public infrastructure, positioning publishing as both an aesthetic object and a practical tool.
In Circulation sits within a broader programme of events linked to the Twyg Slow Fashion Festival, which runs alongside the Investec Cape Town Art Fair. Together, the projects ask how fashion can respond to social and environmental pressures through accountability, care and imagination. In Circulation gives these questions a physical form, allowing visitors to engage with research, speculation and lived experience through print.
In Circulation builds on this approach, with a specific emphasis on responsibility, repair and the circulation of resources.
The installation is informed by recent publishing interventions that have used the newsstand as a site of cultural exchange. These projects demonstrated how compact, low-threshold displays can surface local voices, revive interest in print and create space for conversation within large-scale design and art events. In Circulation builds on this approach, with a specific emphasis on responsibility, repair and the circulation of resources.
Throughout the weekend, the art fair stand will act as a gathering point, connecting the publications on display to the wider festival programme and the city. Several publications will be available in limited editions, alongside free printed materials intended to extend the conversation beyond the fair.
The surrounding programme includes Progression V, a spatial fashion presentation at St George’s Cathedral, and Mother, This Isn’t Me, an exhibition at Church House that brings together artists and designers working with imagined and contested futures. Additional events include a walking fashion tour through the city and a mending workshop.
In Circulation is designed to reach a broad audience. Collectors, designers, students and members of the public are encouraged to engage with the material at their own pace. The project prioritises accessibility, both in content and format. While some associated events are ticketed to support participating makers, the installation itself is open to all Investec Cape Town Art Fair visitors, with several related exhibitions offering free entry. The fashion walking tour is free to attend.
By placing publishing at the centre of the fair experience, In Circulation proposes that storytelling is not secondary to making, but fundamental to it. The project argues that how fashion is explained, recorded and shared is inseparable from how it is produced. In a context often dominated by spectacle and speed, In Circulation offers a quieter, more deliberate mode of engagement.
Important dates
In Circulation runs from 20 to 22 February 2026 at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Cape Town International Convention Centre.
The Twyg Slow Fashion Festival takes place from 19 to 23 February 2026 at various locations across Cape Town:
- 20 February, 6 pm – 8 pm | Progression V: A fashion presentation by Onesimo Bam – find out more
- 21 February, 10 am – 2 pm | Fashion in the City: A walking tour – find out more
- 21 February, 7 pm onwards | The Afterparty – find out more
About the collaborators
Twyg is a Cape Town-based magazine and platform driving care, community and sustainability. It understands fashion as culture, not as a driver of consumption. Wunders is a creative fabrication studio working across design, architecture and public installation. Letterhead is an editorial and copywriting studio specialising in publishing, marketing, and brand development. Heath Nash is a South African designer known for material innovation and socially engaged design.
- Images courtesy of ICTAF by Mia Thom
