True Fashion: Try on Green Programme Spotlights Young Talent and Tapestries of Change

From August to October 2021, the French Institute of South Africa, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut South Africa, celebrated South African designers working towards a sustainable future with their True Fashion: Try on Green mentorship programme. The mentorship programme was set up by the Franco-German Cultural Fund in an effort to bring together South African, French and German designers to mentor and grow the sustainable fashion industry in South Africa.

The aim of this programme was to identify and spotlight the next generation of designers and thinkers who are challenging fast fashion and its extractive, exploitative ways. Designers from across the country submitted their proposals for a project, and from the sixty applicants they received this year, five designers were chosen to partake in the programme. These designers were: Nkosazana Hlalethwa, Xola Makoba, Burton Miles, Khumo Morojele and Zovuyo Mputa.

These emerging designers were mentored by four renowned designers, namely: Buki Akomolafe, Lukhanyo Mdingi, Nadine Gonzalez and Olga Pham. “It was such a privilege being able to work and learn from the mentors. Having heard of these amazing people and then having them be in your orbit and getting to experience them in your everyday, is another thing entirely,” says one of the mentees Nkosazana (Zaza) Hlalethwa.

“I learnt the importance of community”, she adds. Working with the other mentees and the mentors, she had the opportunity to bounce ideas, be inspired and learn from the people around her. The five mentees come from different backgrounds and have their own techniques, allowing them to collaborate and learn from each other. “We recognised that we’re all in this together. I think the connections I have made will be long-lasting and that we will work together in the future,” Zaza says.

The collaborative process fostered a reciprocal environment wherein both mentees and mentors were able to share and work towards their visions of sustainability and thoughtful production. “It was more of an exchange,” says Lukhanyo Mdingi, fashion designer and one of this year’s mentors. “Working with the True Green Fashion mentees made me realise that we’re more alike than different; we all simply want opportunities to excel in the things that we envision for ourselves.” He found himself learning from them as much as they were learning from him.

After a series of workshops, masterclasses and conversations with experts in sustainable fashion, this three-month programme culminated in a photoshoot with the mentees and the pieces they’d created during the mentorship. By incorporating the ideas and knowledge they gathered from the mentors and the various figures within the sustainable fashion industry, they each produced one piece to showcase in the shoot. “The goal shouldn’t be to have the perfect end product,” Zaza says. “It’s easy to get fixated on perfection. It isn’t about the final product; it’s about the process and what we learn from it,” she adds.

With her speciality being a craft, Zaza never thought that someone like her, with her work, could belong in the world of fashion. But being part of this programme gave her the confidence to continue pursuing her dream of being a fashion designer and highlighting the importance of craft in fashion. The True Fashion: Try on Green programme was about bringing industry professionals, who are leading the sustainable fashion movement, together with mentoring and guiding talented young designers in a mentorship context that allows for guidance and reciprocal learning.

South Africa’s sustainable fashion industry is growing and is at a crucial point. “The most important thing was to look at how to do something tangible; to be part of this critical conversation around sustainable fashion in South Africa” says Sophie Boulé, Cultural Attaché at the French Embassy in South Africa.

Including new designers into the conversation of sustainability is an important step towards creating a future of designers, and consumers, who will continue making socially and environmentally responsible choices in their work. “We also understand the importance of supporting local designers through real empowerment, and we know this programme will help these designers propel their budding businesses to greater heights,” Sophie adds.

Now that the mentorship programme has come to a close, the designers have gone on to continue their fashion journey and we can’t wait to see what they embark on next.