Collaboration throughout the fashion chain means that fashionistas will no longer have to wait for the trends abroad to arrive on local shores, writes Sandiso Ngubane.
Imagine this scenario: you are browsing through the images from London, New York, Milan or Paris Fashion Week and, of course, there’s a lot “to die for”.
A week later, you browse through the trend reports on different websites and blogs and you can hardly wait to have some of those items in your closet. Now, what if it was possible to have those items ready for you on the rails at your favourite local retailer within six to eight weeks?
This is the world of fast fashion and South African National Fashion Council chief executive Anita Stanbury, who believes this kind of quick response to trend data, can be just what the local clothing and textiles industries need for the amelioration of the entire value chain and job creation, by default.
“We have to see fashion as catalytic,” she says, distinguishing between what constitutes fashion and basic clothing items. “We are talking about fashionable items that are driven by market demand. We need to understand what is trending, whether that be on the red carpets, the runway or social media.”
For a long time, fashion retailers have often simply ripped off samples from foreign retailers to create local ranges, but this is no longer a sustainable practice. Not if we are hoping for an industry that creates employment.
For a review of new strategies and local vision, see the full report by Sandiso Ngubane in the Mail & Guardian
