Looking stylish in a summer heatwave – while keeping sweat and stress to a minimum – is no easy feat. To help, we have put together a guide of tips and tricks for you. And we’ve curated a range of local brands crafting considered essentials to support people looking to soak up the sunshine in cool, conscious style this summer.
Focus on fabrics
There are several reasons we need to pay attention to our fabric choices, especially in summer. A big reason is how our clothes wear and return to the earth over time.
Heat equals sweat which is also likely to mean more laundry than usual. To beat the heat (and minimise sweat), choose clothing made from natural plant fibres like cotton, linen, or hemp. These fabrics are not only more breathable and absorbent than clothing made from synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon, but the microfibres that shed in the wash are likely less harmful to our waterways than plastic microfibres.
Summer styling
The formula for a perfect outfit in the warmer weather is to keep your look as simple and paired-down as possible. Focus on fuss-free summer silhouettes. We have already mentioned the importance of fabric choice when keeping cool. But the silhouette is just as important. Look for loose silhouettes that don’t sit too tight to the skin – roomy dresses, airy trousers, and spacious shirts. Lean towards lighter colours. Generally, lighter colours – such as white, beige, and pastels – absorb less heat and will keep you feeling cooler for longer. If black is your signature look, then go ahead – just make sure you have a few fashionably functional accessories to keep you shaded.
Add accessories
While summer may have you choosing garments for simplicity and function, another summer styling tip is accessorise. This will help you add personal flair to any outfit. Think along the lines of a bold bag, layered necklaces, statement sandals, a secondhand neck scarf, some signature sunnies, and a hat to top it all off!
Don’t forget sustainable sunscreen
With the thinning of Earth’s ozone layer, protecting our skin from the sun has never been more critical, making sunscreen a non-negotiable. But, we need to pay attention to what sunscreen we use because many sunscreens contain chemicals like oxybenzone and octinoxate that wash into our waterways and negatively affect ocean life through phenomena like coral bleaching. Look out for sunscreens that contain ocean-friendly ingredients like non-nano zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.
Brands that can help beat the heat
Sama Sama
Founded on ethics and sustainability, Kimberly Lardner-Burke created Sama Sama for unrestricted movement. All the brand’s garments are made from 100% natural and sustainable base-cloths, including linen, hemp, and organic cotton sourced from local fabric suppliers in Cape Town as far as possible. Delight in the simplicity of their brightly-coloured dungis made from a 70% linen and 30% cotton blend or playfully pair their 100% cotton classic boxer shorts with their 100% cotton loose-knit vest.
- Prices: From R520.00
- Website
Studio Çoise
Cape Winelands-based brand Studio Çoise produces classic, trans-seasonal clothing with ethics and quality at the core. The team of two – founder Francoise Jeanne de Villiers and seamstress Idriss Banda – handmake each piece from natural fabrics like cotton and linen on a made-to-order and pre-order basis to reduce industrial waste and dead stock. Their loose silhouettes and light colourways are ideal for keeping cool in style this summer.
- Prices: From R1330.00
- Website
HempLove
HempLove grew from female founders Loré Botha and Lara Blevi’s passion for nature and the environment. The four-year-old fashion and lifestyle brand make all its garments from hemp and natural fibres like cotton and silk, and all buttons are made from organic matter like river shells, wood, and bamboo.They also incorporate natural dyeing techniques into their limited edition ranges. Explore their collection, from timeless shirts to balloon dresses in crisp whites and taupes or lavender and zesty green.
- Prices: R650 – R2 500
- Website
Beagle + Basset
Botanical dye studio and non-seasonal clothing and homeware brand, Beagle + Basset’s broad-brimmed floppy hat is an ideal summer accessory. Like all their products, this bucket-style hat is made of natural fibres comprising 40% cotton and 60% linen. Available in three sizes and two versatile colours, to match all your summer styles and sojourns! You can order your hat online or arrange a collection time from Beagle + Basset’s studio at The Woodstock Foundry at 170 Albert Road in Cape Town.
- Prices: From R695.00
- Website
Simon and Mary x Siyathunga
This Johannesburg-based heritage milliner has just launched their Crochet Bucket Hat capsule collection in collaboration with a small business in Alexandra called Siyathunga. Simon and Mary connected with Siyathunga – a custom knit and crochet head accessories organisation run by Ntombizodwa Makondo – through their friends at Streamlight and the Ponelopele Drop-In Centre in Alexandra’s Far East Bank. Handcrafted from 45% cotton and 55% coffee cotton, soft and foldable, these hats come in six colours, from white to orange, in various patterns. When you purchase a Crochet Bucket Hat via the Simon and Mary online store, there’s a donation link to help Ponelopele, which provides daily meals and shelter to children in the surrounding community.
- Prices: R500.00
- Website
Fréya Hats South Africa
From bucket hats to straw visors, Cape Town-based hat brand FRÉYA HATS regard their hats as fashion pieces with a purpose. All their hats are made from natural fibres or up-cycled materials by female-owned CMTs based in South Africa. Many of the brand’s stylish chapeaus have undergone scientific testing by a laboratory and are certified with a CANSA Seal of Recognition to offer UPF 50 + protection. (Read 7 South African hat brands to keep you shaded in style to discover more local hat options.)
- Prices: From R399 | kids’ collection from R249
- Website
iFele
iFele is a contemporary African footwear brand based in Durban. Founded in 2016 by Reggi Xaba, iFele reinterprets the Zulu ‘imbadada’ (traditional tyre sandals) using modern shoe-making methods and combining leather uppers with thermoplastic rubber soles sourced from a tannery in Wellington, Western Cape. The shoes are hand-decorated with colourful pieces and metal studs inspired by traditional Zulu design.
- Prices: From R600
- Website
Afrikan Passion Designs
Afrikan Passion Designs is a Nguni-inspired, environmentally conscious, and unisex handmade leather accessories brand based in Durban. Founded in 2017 by Durban-based designer Nombuso Khanyile. Nombuso began to make sandals from discarded tyres from dump sites, garages, and car-repair retailers.
- Prices: From R300
- Website
Sweet Peas
Johannesburg-based brand, Sweet Peas specialises in handmade women’s shoes and sandals. Inspired by Mediterranean travels, the footwear brand makes its shoes from linen, and cow leather sourced and handmade locally in South Africa and tanned using a method with vegetables instead of harsh chemicals.
- Prices: From R799
- Website
PRAIA
PRAIA make sunglasses with classic designs to ensure they last beyond the season. PRAIA handcraft their eyewear from Italian-sourced Mazzucchelli Cellulose Acetate, which is of natural plant origin (usually from tree pulp or wood chips) and considered a better choice over other petroleum-based plastics. According to an article published in eco club, “As long as companies manufacture it [cellulose acetate] responsibly and disposal can be done efficiently, bio acetates ultimately carry less of a footprint, and unlike their plastic-based counterparts, will decompose”. PRAIA sunglasses are scratch-resistant and offer 100% UV protection. PRAIA have committed to sea conservation and gives back 1% of its profits to support environmental nonprofits dedicated to cleaning and protecting oceans. Note: PRAIA sunglasses are designed in South Africa, but manufactured overseas.
- Prices: From R1490.00
- Website
Ballo
Protect your eyes in sustainable style with Ballo. This brand has been handmaking ethical eyewear from recycled and upcycled materials since 2013. These materials include cork offcuts from wine bottle cork production, fabric offcuts, wood offcuts, end-of-roll canvas, and recycled paper. Committed to social and environmental change, Ballo is a contributing member of 1% for the Planet and GreenPop, 1% of the brand’s turnover is donated to Women for Change and Langa For Men, and they are supporters of SurfPop and Sentinel Ocean Alliance.
- Prices: From R1080.00
- Website
SOEK
SOEK handmakes sunglasses from durable bamboo and hardwoods such as maple, ebony and walnut, sourced from sustainable timber from FSC-accredited suppliers. Each pair of SOEK glasses comes in a foldable cork case. As part of their mission to create consciously, SOEK has partnered with a global reforestation NPO called One Tree Planted where a portion of their sales is donated.
- Prices: From R1058.00
- Website
Back 2 Nature
Cape Town-based and woman-owned skincare brand Back 2 Nature makes a range of products packaged in glass, aluminium, and kraft boxes and uses vegetable ink for labels. Their Active Zinc SPF30 Sunblock in 50g tin tubs is vegan, reef safe, has not been tested on animals and has been approved by the CANSA SunSmart Association. Try their Broad Spectrum Mineral Sunscreen SPF30 in 150ml, and for the little ones, their 150g tub of Rays of Sunshine Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30. You can order directly online or visit one of their many stockists.
- Prices: R230.00 – R365.00
- Website
Gaia Organics
Gaia Organics is a small family-owned Plettenberg Bay-based skincare brand that offers natural products that consider people and the planet. From sun protection to healing balms for sunburn, Gaia Organics is formulated from ingredients grown on a farm in the Crags and packaged in recycled plastic, glass bottles, and tubs. Try their vegan and vegetarian-compliant, reef and marine-life-safe Extreme UV Sun Defence Lotion in 100ml and 250ml, respectively. While this sunscreen is not waterproof and does require regular reapplication, it contains a broad-spectrum SPF of +- 30 and is void of synthetic sun-screening chemicals, which makes it gentle enough to use on babies. They also offer a Zinc Sunblock Spray in 100ml with an SPF +- 30.
- Prices: R97.00 – R253.00
- Website
SKOON.
Inspired by our sunny continent, skincare brand SKOON.’s 30ml SUNNYBONANI Day Defense Sun Cream with SPF 20 is a natural, mineral-only-based sunscreen for your face which can be added over moisturisers and serums. This sunscreen is easily absorbed into the skin thanks to its lightweight character and is made with antioxidants like rooibos.
- Prices: R549.95
- Website
Read Sustainable sunscreens for your summer beach bag for more sustainable sunscreen options.
- Images: Supplied by brands
- Cover image: Photo by Alix-Rose Cowie from the Simon and Mary x Siyathunga collaboration
