AllFashion Sourcing is set to take place soon at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from 8 to 10 July 2025. The three-day business-focused trade show is a must for anyone working in or curious about the textile and fashion industry. Celebrating African design while connecting industry players, the event offers unmatched opportunities for networking, international sourcing, and manufacturing collaboration.
The event’s highlights include over 148 exhibitors, business matchmaking meetings, live fashion shows, talks, and a Young Designers Competition. Here’s what not to miss:
Panel talks and keynote speakers
The lineup of speakers at Allfashion Sourcing features a dynamic selection of industry leaders and key fashion players.
South Africa is no stranger to counterfeit culture, where fake luxury fashion threatens local jobs, designers, and our economy. Sharing his thoughts on the matter is Eustace Masimbye from Proudly South African, providing insights on how we can protect local creativity and industry.
Attendees will also have the chance to hear CTCC’s Courtney Barnes discuss South Africa’s R-CTFL (Retail, Clothing, Textiles, Footwear and Leather) Masterplan, which aims to increase local manufacturing from 44% to 65% by 2030.
The programme also features discussions, including one centred on addressing waste to build a circular fashion economy and another on the realities of a ‘local is lekker’ approach.
An array of over 148 exhibitors
The CTICC will host a diverse range of exhibitors, covering sectors from clothing and trimmings to industrial machinery and hand-beaded jewellery. Among them are Berzacks, a wholesale distributor of machinery for the clothing, upholstery, and embroidery industries; IDFL, the world’s largest down and feather testing laboratory; and Manifatture E. Miroglio, a European textile manufacturer working to rebuild a fully integrated supply chain. Other participants include SAFLEC (the South African Footwear and Leather Export Council), Buzwe Bethu Textiles, and representatives from the Global Organic Textile Standard.
The annual Young Designers Competition
Finalists of the 2024 Young Designers Competition
Now in its seventh year, the Young Designers Competition remains a firm highlight in the AllFashion Sourcing schedule. This year’s theme is ECO-NOGY SA: A Creative Vision for South Africa’s Sustainable Fashion Future. Participants are invited to design a look that both reflects African ingenuity and addresses environmental and social challenges, through design, materials, and use of local craftsmanship.
The competition is open to designers graduating this year, who have graduated in the past five years, or are currently in a design internship program. The winner will win a R15,000 cash prize, as well as a legal business toolkit valued at R250,000. The top ten designs will be shown on the AllFashion Sourcing stage, after which the winner and runner-up will be announced.
An exhibition of upcycled garments
As a practical example of circular fashion, AllFashion Sourcing’s 2024 banners and signage have been transformed into a range of garments. AFS challenged three designers – Darren de Hahn (Pariah), Feroza Webster (Aelahn), and Gerrard Ndlovu (WHITESHIRT) – to upcycle last year’s signage into original pieces. Their creations will be exhibited, and the designers will also be interviewed about the project.
- Register here to attend this year’s AllFashion Sourcing
- All images supplied
