What does fashion revolution mean for Africa?

“It takes a revolution to make a solution”. This line from the 1974 hit, Revolution, by iconic reggae sensations, Bob Marley and the Wailers, was intended as a comment on political violence in the group’s homeland at the time. But, it aptly captures the essence of the world’s largest fashion activism movement – the Fashion Revolution.

The 10-year-old Fashion Revolution movement for “people and planet over profit” has brought people together to build a vision for radical change in the fashion industry. It’s co-founder Orsola de Castro once said that the organisation is “challenging the mainstream and championing the radicals”. It is doing this by mobilising citizens, brands, and policymakers through research, education, and advocacy across 92 countries.

Fashion Revolution started in response to the fourth-largest industrial disaster in history, the collapse of the Rana Plaza in Bangladesh in 2013. From the approximate 5000 people employed at the garment factories housed in the Rana Plaza, 1134 garment workers died in the devastation and more than 2500 were injured.

To mark Fashion Revolution Week, commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy, and spotlight Fashion Revolution’s work to implement systemic change at a grassroots level, we reached out to a few of the 15 Fashion Revolution hubs across Africa.

Sudan

When asked to describe what a fashion revolution looks like in Sudan, country coordinator Hadeel Osman says it is an embrace of indigenous clothes-making and care practices to resist the entry of fast fashion into the nation’s local market.

Sudan is known as a nation that contributes to the textile industry through cotton growing. Textile traditions like the weaving of natural materials and palm branches are still practised to this day to make clothes, accessories, and home ware.

While the fashion industry in Sudan is a relatively small sector due to the country’s economic and political challenges, Hadeel says that Fashion Revolution Sudan’s vision “is to build a fashion industry that is sustainable from the very beginning, which is a massive advantage compared to other nations with an existing industry.”

An embrace of indigenous clothes-making and care practices to resist the entry of fast fashion into the nation’s local market since fast fashion compromises job opportunities for local artisans and traders

“We are still far away from having an actual fashion industry in Sudan, as there are plenty of economic, technical, and political limitations on manufacturing and production,” says Hadeel. But, many independent, designers, artisans, makers, and traders fulfil the market gap within a more traditional fashion supply chain. “There is hope for the textile industry which could guarantee job opportunities, and growth, and strengthen the local market. NUCY, Eiman Designs, Eco Packaging Sudan, EcoWaste Sudan, and Sudan Zero Waste are just a few examples of brands and organisations contributing to a more conscious, sustainable, and circular revival,” she says.

South Africa

The fashion design sector in South Africa is a dynamic and growing sector that showcases the country’s cultural heritage and contemporary design aesthetic. While the industry has faced (and continues to face) its fair share of challenges due to the economic downturn, there is still a strong appetite for local fashion and sustainable fashion practices. South Africa also has a strong history of producing world-class fibres including mohair, wool, and cotton. South Africa is currently the biggest producer of mohair in the world. Many stakeholders, including the international organisation Better Cotton initiative, are working collaboratively to grow the cotton sector.

Liandra van Staden, Safiyya Karim, and Cyril Naicker from Fashion Revolution South Africa point out that Fashion Revolution’s global vision as set out in its manifesto can be used as guideline to build a thriving future for the local industry.

The fourth point in the manifesto, “fashion [that] respects culture and heritage” encourages us to foster, celebrate, and reward skills and craftsmanship. According to the manifesto, “It recognises creativity as its strongest asset. Fashion never appropriates without giving due credit or steals without permission. Fashion honours the artisan.” The national coordinator of Fashion Revolution South Africa, Cyril Naicker, adds, “This is the manifesto point that in a South African context, we would like to focus on most specifically during this year’s Fashion Revolution Week. We are a country of 11 official languages and the Fashion Revolution in South Africa needs to reflect this global campaign in its local vernaculars.”

Fashion Revolution South Africa’s vision for a sustainable fashion industry is, simply, an industry that is a celebration of people, culture, and creativity

South Africa is a culturally diverse country with a rich textile tradition that is influenced by the country’s various cultural groups. The country holds a particularly strong affinity to shweshwe fabric which is a textile that is historically intertwined with early European trade routes that brought the indigo-dyed and geometric pattern printed fabrics to South African shores in the 19th century.

According to Liandra, Safiyya, and Cyril, in more modern interpretations, shweshwe is available in a variety of colours and patterns. This serves as an anecdotal example of how textiles and globalisation are intertwined. Liandra, Safiyya, and Cyril further emphasise that ours is a complex landscape.

They say, that the reality is many indigenous practices have been excluded from contemporary narratives about fashion, and this speaks directly to the need to decolonise fashion in a local context.

Fashion Revolution South Africa’s vision for a sustainable fashion industry is an industry that is a celebration of people, culture, and creativity. “A sustainable fashion industry in South Africa is also one that is locally focused, slow, and transparent; ensuring all workers along the supply chain are paid living wages and that our clothing is made to last and outlives trends,” says Cyril.

A few brands and organisations already contributing to this vision, according to Fashion Revolution South Africa, include The Herd, Lukhanyo Mdingi, Thebe Magugu, Sindiso Khumalo, Lara Klawikowski, Sealand, Wisi-oi, Studio Candor, Oneofeach, and Style Rotate.

Zimbabwe

 

The fashion industry in Zimbabwe is relatively small, but largely driven by young designers who are showcasing their creativity and talent both locally and internationally, it has been growing in recent years. Despite the economic challenges faced by the country, there is a growing demand for Zimbabwean-made clothing and accessories.

Local textile traditions are an important part of Zimbabwe’s rich culture and heritage used in traditional ceremonies, and now, in contemporary fashion and design. Cotton is the most significant commercial textile indigenous to Zimbabwe. Some of the local textile traditions include shweshwe fabric which is made from 100% cotton and is known for its vibrant colours and intricate patterns; kente cloth which is a colourful and detailed patterned fabric that is traditionally woven by the Ashanti people of Ghana but which is also widely used in Zimbabwe, where it is known as Ndebele cloth. And, Chitenge fabric. Chitenge is also a colourful and patterned fabric made from 100% cotton and is often used to make dresses, skirts, and head wraps.

Locally, leather – though not always readily available or affordable for individual use – also constitutes a textile indigenous to some regions of the country. Other textiles are made from grass, reeds, and palm fronds.

Responding on behalf of Fashion Revolution Zimbabwe, cultural enthusiast, creative nomad, and Fashion Revolution volunteer, Haleema Mekani describes a fashion revolution in Zimbabwe as one which “celebrates the knowledge, skill, and craftsmanship of handmade, handcrafted, and locally produced textiles and accessories.”

Haleema describes the current state of Zimbabwe’s fashion industry as, “a peculiar dichotomy of fashion positioning throughout the value chain.” Looking at retail, the younger generations including those from middle and upper-middle-class households have adopted thrifting from the secondhand markets. Haleema explains that this may have more to do with the cost of new garments rather than a conscious purchasing decision.

Zimbabwe’s fashion revolution would safeguard the communities and institutions that help to preserve and promote locally sourced, locally produced and locally made fashion and accessories

Looking at manufacturing, many factories (textile and garment) have suffered significantly from economic instability with some shutting down. Most factories now focus on the manufacturing of basic homeware such as sheets and curtains, while clothing manufacturers rely on uniforms and protective clothing.

Fashion Revolution in Zimbabwe places value on the people and communities contributing across the value chain as well as the planet. “Zimbabwe’s fashion revolution would safeguard the communities and institutions that help to preserve and promote locally sourced, locally produced and locally made fashion and accessories,” says Haleema.

A few brands and organisations already contributing to this vision, according to Haleema, include Haus of Stone, PatchMaoko, and DeeKawZee.

Fashion food for thought

Many fashion industries across the African continent still face obstacles such as limited access to funding and other resources, as well as a lack of infrastructure to support their growth. South Africa’s Fashion Revolution team point out important caveats: Many designers who are interested in best practices, as reflected in Fashion Revolution’s manifesto, have limited availability to fabrics that are produced locally. Imports can lead to a greater carbon footprint, increased costs, and a potential lack of traceability, which in turn limits transparency in supply chains coupled with a host of other challenges. Designers who commit to best practices through utilising fabrics that are accredited, or who are running small-scale businesses are often faced with the reality of producing fashion garments that come at a higher cost.

Nonetheless, there is optimism for the future. The continent is realising and appreciating that their respective fashion and textile sectors have the potential for growth and revival, and there is a heady appetite to cultivate growth that reflects this ethos. With the knowledge and experience shared of unemployment problem, of a struggling economy, and of a high influx of imported goods that have historically crippled local production, as well as drowned out the creative voice and potential of local designers and artisans.

Cyril sums this up: “A South African Fashion Revolution flips this on its head and takes these challenges as an opportunity for empowerment and development that is sensitive to people, planet, and future generations. It is a celebration of all things local: local talent, local production, and our land. The landscape and narrative owned by our people are important”.

“This has for a long time left us in a position where ‘sustainable’ shopping was strongly associated with aspirational fashion that was not accessible to all consumers. The dial on this has shifted, with the growth in alternative avenues that nod to practices of upcycling, thrifting, swapping, and customising. We cannot understate how powerful this shift has been not only in stepping away from the fast fashion machine, but in terms of empowering inclusion in fashion, and opening up fashion as an outlet for expression, as we love to imagine it to be,” says the Fashion Revolution South Africa team.

Remember, whether you’re a citizen, a policymaker, a major brand, or a retailer, you can help. Fashion Revolution has laid out a set of steps that you can take to get involved and support their movement. You can find these steps here.

• Cover image: Haus of Stone photographed by Ngonizashe Chiara