There is a tide in the affairs of men and women

SA Fashion Week set out to change a situation that needed to transfigure into a new culture.

In the final decade of the pre-democratic era, shifts were happening in all spheres, including the clothing industry. Political sanctions had eroded the once thriving textile and manufacturing industry considerably. The excellent spinning and weaving and yarn mills, which were a legacy of British and Italian expertise, as well

as the highly respected sewing and finishing industries that produced international labels such as Dior under licence, were confronted with the twin realities of recession ravaged local consumers and the wholesale withdrawal of international orders.

There was little room for a broader and distinctive designer-led consciousness to flourish. In a market where large local chains dominated, with commercial ranges derived from international trends, or niche boutiques focused on imports for the affluent, designers had no voice or visible means of expressing their work. They

certainly, didn’t enjoy the respect for design granted the world over, and especially in the three dominant fashion capitals of Europe at the time – London, Paris and Milan.

Elite local patronage was the jealously guarded domain of a select few. The most prestigious fashion award was bestowed by women’s magazine, Fair Lady, whose Catherine Awards were named after the patron saint of fashion. Designers were nominated by a changing panel of magazine fashion editors and couldn’t enter of

their own volition. It was against this backdrop that SA Fashion Week dared to dream of inspiring a designer-led fashion industry that would unleash the country’s creative talent and allow it to develop a South African signature that would capture the imagination of fashion lovers everywhere.

The book Moda a Milano: Fashion in Milan – Style and Business in a Changing City was a great source of inspiration. Published in 2002, this book tells the story of how the Milanese fashion industry was reinvented in the 1970s to become the centre of fashion manufacturing in Europe. The first step was to establish meaningful

cooperation between the fashion system and political institutions. Secondly, Milan would modernise and become a city of cultural excellence driven by young innovators bringing marginalised areas back to life. Top Italian designers have very distinctive signatures, their own enterprises and, most importantly, sell on all key

markets because their products anticipate the desires of their consumers. The result of this far-sighted strategy is that fashion and fashion-related production has grown to be the second biggest industry in Italy.

The system that SA Fashion Week has cultivated over the past 21 years is informed by these concepts.

The structural challenges in the industry, however, remain considerable. There isn’t a full fashion value chain from textile and yarn to garment manufacturing and specialisation that can support high-end design. Manufacturing comes at a premium and is geared to large and relatively uncomplicated runs. Limited investment in machines for specific finishes means certain garments simply cannot be produced.

The availability of top-end and state-of-the-art fabric is circumscribed and without an established tradition of apprenticeship and mentoring, specialised craftsmanship, skills and expertise are in short supply. In the absence of big design houses, internship opportunities for young designers to learn the business side of fashion or gain hands-on experience in the basics of pattern-making, cutting and sewing, fit and finish under a guiding hand after graduation, are minimal, and they, therefore, often have no choice but to create their own businesses. Competition is fierce, be it from an influx of cheap Asian imports or a plethora of international luxury brands vying for the continent’s wealthy custom.  - Excerpt from Twenty One Years of SA Fashion Week