13 South African sustainable swimwear brands
Your guide to swimwear made with care
Tag: circular design
When upcycled fashion meets the law
Upcycling is an important circular design solution for the fashion industry. But it's important to understand the potential legal implications of displaying trademarks in upcycled clothing
Africa Textile Talks Day 3: Thread with Care
Titled Thread with Care, the final day of the Africa Textile Talks 2025, took a deep dive into the culture of cloth, innovation, indigenous knowledge, industrialisation and decentralisation. Speakers from Namibia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa and Mozambique shared stories about...
Africa Textile Talks Day 1: Circular solutions for South Africa’s textile industry
Circularity was the focus of the first day of Africa Textile Talks 2025 on 29 July at the V&A Watershed in Cape Town. A broad range of industry players from small businesses and independent designers to representatives from national retailer...
Explainer: How to measure the true cost of your clothes
Do you know how to measure the true cost of your clothes? Read on to learn about Life Cycle Assessments. We’ll be learning about life cycle assessments (LCAs) on the first day of Africa Textile Talks, Tuesday, 29 July. Days...
How University of Pretoria students learn to craft a better future
At the University of Pretoria, sustainability isn’t just taught — it’s practiced. From bread bags to denim offcuts, students are turning waste into tools for social change. The Department of Consumer and Food Sciences integrates Sustainable Development Goals into its...
A new pact aims to build a circular future for the SA fashion and textile industry
Can collaboration help fix fashion? In South Africa, Green Cape has launched an initiative to unite retailers, recyclers, designers, and policymakers to co-create a circular economy pact for the textiles industry. From local tailors to large manufacturers, the future of...
The Global Change Award opens to a new round of changemakers
The H&M Foundation is searching for a new group of innovators for its Global Change Award, offering a chance to win €200,000. The annual competition aims to achieve a net-zero textile industry by 2050 by awarding grants to changemakers. Past...
What to expect at Africa Textile Talks 2024
Africa Textile Talks 2024 is focussed on textile practices that inspire us to imagine and transition to a post-fossil fuel future. Our thoughtfully curated programme introduces attendees to makers and thinkers from South Africa and across the African continent who...
Alia Peer creates fashion that connects people to nature at POLO South Africa
The connection between fashion and nature is deeply understood by Alia Peer and her family. She spent her childhood between playing outdoors on their farm and spending time at the family’s clothing manufacturing company. “When you grow up on a...
Grounded in nature
In celebration of South Africa’s sustainable fashion designers, this new editorial showcases sustainably and ethically made garments designed by Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards 2023 finalists. Thirty one finalists were selected from a total of 103 nominations by an independent and...
These 5 local decor brands take eco seriously
New interior design trends are being driven by the increasing demand for closed material loops and a circular economy. When asked to comment on what constitutes sustainable furniture and what one should consider when sourcing sustainable furniture, Gareth Pearson of...
Here is what nature can teach us about circular design
We often hear the maxim that form should follow function. This equation is powerful because it prioritises the needs of people and highlights design as a tool to make our lives easier, safer, and more exciting. But by putting users...
4 Circular designers share ideas for radically redesigning our world
In a new video series, What Design Can Do’s Make it Circular Challenge interviews four circular designers about the importance of circular design and the urgent need to radically redesign the world we live in. Never before have we produced,...
Join the What Design Can Do Challenge and use your creativity to forge a circular society
Do you have an idea that contributes to a circular society? What Design Can Do and the Ikea Foundation are inviting creatives from around the world to pitch their circular solutions in the Make it Circular Challenge. The competition seeks...