Cape Town Fashion Council

Street and Sportswear Industry Roundtable Discussion

2010-11-08T15:40:00.001+02:00

The last industry discussion in the Fashion for Business Roundtable series is being held on Friday the 12th of November. The topic of this discussion is the street and sportswear industry in South Africa. You can read more about previous industry discussions here.

Craig Native, AFI CTFW 2010, SDR Photos

A panel of industry experts will be discussing the challenges and development which the street and sportswear industry in South Africa face. Invited Panellists include: Shamil Isaacs (CPUT Technology Station) Julie Hodgson (Love SA, Monviso), Craig Native (Native Clothing), Giuseppe Russo (One Small Seed), Anthea Poulous (Instant Grass),Justine Symons (Sportscene), and Catherine Ronaasen (Springleap)

Time: 2:30 till 4

Venue: CTFC office, 2nd Floor Harrington House, corner Harrington and Barack street, Cape Town

Please RSVP by Wednesday 10 September to info@ctfc.co.za

Cape Town Fashion Council AGM

2010-10-19T10:28:00.001+02:00

Once again it has reached that time of the year for us to report back on the CTFC's achievements and recent industry developments. This year the AGM which is to be hosted by the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Mr Alan Winde.

Lalesso,The Emerging Show - CTFW 2010,SDR Photos

The AGM will also be followed by the official opening of our new premises and the Fashion Technology and Innovation Centre (FTIC), in association with the CPUT Technology Station in Clothing and Textiles.

DATE: Friday, 22 October 2010
TIME: 15h30 for 16h00
VENUE: 2nd Floor, Harrington House,
                    37 Barrack Street
                    Cape Town

Wallpaper Magazine

2010-10-14T12:04:00.001+02:00

The November 2010 edition of Wallpaper magazine has a range of covers for the various countries featured in their latest edition. The South African cover features a model dressed by South African menswear designer and CTFC member Stiaan Louw.

Congratulations Stiaan!

Dokter and Misses Opens in Cape Town

2010-10-05T11:27:00.001+02:00

This past weekend saw the launch of Dokter and Misses on Long Street in Cape Town. It is a partnership between designers Dokter and Misses and fashion designer David West.

“Products on offer are by Adriaan Hugo, Dokter and Misses and outdoor-specialist, Joe Paine. The location also stocks David West’s Summer 2010 collection ‘How to find true love and happiness in the present day’, fresh from Cape Town fashion week.”

“With the simple layout of the store, it's difficult not to notice the striking products on offer: Furniture and homeware by Adriaan Hugo, Dokter and Misses and outdoor design specialist Joe Paine. David West's fashion items and accessories are also showed off brilliantly against shop fittings by Katy Taplin and Adriaan Hugo (Dokter and Misses). Visitors to the store can expect to see a wide range of products ranging from the quirky and practical Chekas Bin and the odd-shaped light/bookshelf called A-001LS to the striking Kreep Planter by Joe Paine” reported Raiël le Roux from Visi Magazine.

Dokter and Misses is now open at 113 Long Street

Monday – Friday: 09h00 – 17h00, Saturday: 09h00 – 16h00
Tel: 021 801 4733

images from Pop Ya Collar

Elle New Talent

2010-09-30T11:56:00.001+02:00

The first fashion show of SA Fashion Week kicked off last night with the Elle New Talent show which was held at Arts on Main in Johannesburg. Congratulations to Cleo Droomer who took the first prize! Cleo is also a past winner of the CTFC’s The Graduate Show.

Congratulations Cleo!

Images by: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

Lalesso Spring Summer Collection 2011

2010-09-29T10:01:00.001+02:00

Lalesso is a Cape Town based clothing label which was launched in 2005 by Olivia Kennaway and Alice Heusser. The Spring Summer 2011 collection was inspired by travels in Africa and its nature and culture. Their new collection was photographed on location in Kenya.

Images courtesy of Alice Heusser. Visit www.lalesso.com for more information.

Menswear Industry Discussion

2010-09-23T10:28:00.001+02:00

On Wednesday 22 September the CTFC hosted the second industry discussion which forms part of the Fashion for Business sector case study series. The topic of this discussion was the menswear industry in South Africa and in particular the challenges which menswear designer Stiaan Louw has faced in the industry.

Clotex Chair and mentor to Stiann Louw , Alf Hartzenburg, moderated the discussion. Invited panellists included Stiaan Louw; Designer, Stiaan Louw and Arthur Malan-Murison; Creative Fashion Director of GQ Magazine.

Evening, Bridal and Formalwear Industry Discussion

2010-09-20T16:49:00.001+02:00

The first industry panel discussion of the Fashion for Business Discussion Series was held on Friday 17th September at 15 on Orange. The theme of this discussion was Evening, Bridal and Formalwear. The case study under discussion was Jacoba Clothing.

The discussion was moderated by Shamil Isaacs (Manager, Technology Station). The panellists included; Anna Geldenhuys (Owner, Jacoba Clothing) Pearl Conning (Retail Manager, Hip Hop Clothing) , Elbeth Gillis (Owner Elbeth Gillis), Angela Devenish (Natl. Project/Ad Sales Manager, My Wedding Day) Elzbieta Rosenwerth (Founder of Rosenwerth) and Stefania Morland (owner and designer of Stefania Morland)

More info on the discussion to follow

CTFC Roundtable Panel Discussion Series

2010-09-13T11:23:00.003+02:00

The 'Fashion for Business Programme' (F4B) was implemented by the CTFC as a pilot in late 2009, designed to empower and aid local fashion designers to become more competitive entrepreneurs. The 2009/2010 participants include designers from four fashion sectors; Craig Native (Streetwear), Stiaan Louw (Menswear), Jacoba Clothing (Eveningwear) and Undacova (Intimate Apparel). In addition to these participants, the CTFC extended programme workshops to all of its members, ranging in topics from “Sourcing & Supplier Management” to “Retailing & Sales”. The designers in the F4B Programme worked one-on-one with Industry Mentors and Specialized Mentors, to tackle individual business challenges. As a result, programme participants have experienced growth and successes such as retail and manufacturing opportunities through the 2010 Design Indaba Expo, as well as collaborative support on new ranges.

Fashion for Business Prog. 2010

In conclusion of the pilot programme, a roundtable series addressing each sector of the fashion industry will commence with the input of local experts and stakeholders. Each sector roundtable will bring key players together for an open forum on the challenges, resources and opportunities within their area of the fashion business.

The following is an outline of the sector case studies...
Evening, Bridal & Formalwear Roundtable
Friday, 17 September (14h30 – 16h30)
15 on Orange (Corner Grey's Pass and Orange Street)
Jacoba Clothing

Case Study: Jacoba Clothing
Moderator: Shamil Isaacs, Manager, Technology Station
Invited Panellists:
· Anna Geldenhuys:Owner, Jacoba Clothing
· Pearl Conning: Retail Manager, Hip Hop Clothing
· Elbeth Gillis: Owner,Elbeth Gillis
· Angela Devenish: Natl. Project/Ad Sales Manager, My Wedding Day
. Elzbieta Rosenwerth: Founder of Rosenwerth
. Stefania Morland: Owner and designer of Stefania Morland

Menswear Roundtable
Wednesday, 22 September (14h30 – 16h30)
15 on Orange
                Stiaan Louw Design Indaba 2010. Simon Deiner / SDR Photo
Case Study: Stiaan Louw
Moderator: Alf Hartzenburg, Sprout Int’l/Clotex Chair

Invited Panellists:
· Stiaan Louw: Designer, Stiaan Louw
· Abubaker Frizlaar: Merchandise Executive, House of   Monatic
· David West: Designer, David West
· Willem Jacques Minnaar: Designer, Blasoen
· Carly Ledward: Designer,   Truworths
· Abel Mponda: Buyer, Woolworths
. Arthur Malan-Murison, Creative Fashion Director, GQ

Intimate & Swimwear Apparel Roundtable
Friday, 8 October (14h30 – 16h30)
Triumph International head offices: 11 Warbler Close, Montague Gardens, Cape Town.

                                 Undacova, The Emerging Show, AFI CTFW / SDR Photos
Case Study: Undacova
Moderator: Stefan Segal, Kalunga/Mentor to Undacova
Invited Panellists:
· Chris Kilching: Co-owner, Undacova
· Percy Ndaba: Co-owner, Undacova
· Bielle Ross: Assistant Designer, Lovewaterlove
· Belinda Reid: Head of Product, Triumph International
· George Zondagh: Managing Member, Beaches
· Yvette Wells: Men’s Underwear Buyer, Woolworths
· Martina Schmidt: Managing Director, Helma International Trading

Street & Sportswear Roundtable
TBA (scheduled for November)
                            Craig Native AFI CTFW / SDR Photos

Case Study: Craig Native
Invited Panellists:
· Craig Native: Designer, Craig Native
· Julie Hodgson: Cheif Executive, Monviso /Mentor to Craig Native
· Themba Mngomezulu: Designer, Darkie
· Vanessa Green: Merchandise Director, Puma

To RSVP please email us at info@ctfc.co.za

Avant Garden

2010-08-27T10:26:00.001+02:00

One of South Africa’s more established fashion labels, Hip Hop are launching their new spring range, Avant Garden.

The fabrics are exclusive to Hip Hop and were sourced by designer Cheryl Arthur during her recent travels to Africa, Italy and China. The choice of fabrics played a large role in the new collection. “It was clear that we needed strong, clean lines to maximise the impact of all those beautiful flowers and amazing colours.” noted Arthur.

“I was looking for modern twists on the floral pattern,” comments Arthur, “prints that are feminine yet shout fun at the same time.”

Hip Hop are better know for their more formal dresses but the Avant Garden range is definitely more playful than previous ranges.

Thank you to Dom Murray for the info and the use of the pics.

David West

2010-08-25T15:11:00.001+02:00

David West is seen as one of South Africa’s most progressive fashion designers, at this year’s Cape Town Fashion Week he showcased a collection titled ‘How to find true love and happiness in the present day’. According to the designer it explores ‘the joys and anxieties of our technological age’ .

David’s designs will also be available at his new store Doctor & Misses David West, which opens in September in Long Street, Cape Town

Images from the collection ‘How to find true love and happiness in the present day’ which was shown at Cape Town Fashion Week 2010.

Pictures by: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

Behind the Scenes at The Graduate Show

2010-08-20T10:25:00.001+02:00

Behind the scenes at The Graduate Show during Cape Town Fashion Week 2010. Thursday 12 August.

All photographs by: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

Cape Town Fashion Week 2010, The Emerging Show

2010-08-19T09:40:00.001+02:00

The Emerging Show was held at Cape Town Fashion Week this past Saturday (14 August). The Emerging Show is a Cape Town Fashion Council initiative sponsored by Woolworths. Woolworths shares the CTFC’s interest in nurturing and developing local talent through its “SA Designers at Woolworths” collection. The collections support and promote the work of South African designers who came to their attention through the CTFC’s collaborative designer section at previous Cape Town Fashion Weeks.

Each Guest Designer will have in-store mini collections retailing at Woolworths in the coming months.

The following guest designers showed their collections at this year’s Emerging Show.

Thulare Monareng

Thulare has designed a range for Woolworths with a local urban handwriting that is sexy and standout for day to night. Bold print is an essential part of her handwriting

Black Coal

Pumeza has designed a range of separates that is cool yet fun with a real South African flavour that is pulled together by denim.

Lalesso

Lalesso is a feminine and fun collection. Prints are African in spirit, yet offer a global fashionability. Their collection for Woolworths has dresses at its heart.

Sway

Sway is all about easy-flowing knit pieces in their unmistakable Sway prints. A mix and match ideal with a quirky, charming nature.

Undacova

Undacova for the boys is underwear with attitude…with bold, sexy, tongue-in-cheek combinations to make them smile.

Tallulah Jane

This is Tina’s first commercial collection and will be launched later in the summer for a Modern back-to-work ideal providing a fashion-forward answer with a youthful twist

Suga Suga

Woolworths own range is designed with a proudly South African spirit. Colour print and embellishment are key elements of this range that offers special pieces at affordable prices.

All photographs by: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo

Cape Town Fashion Week 2010, The Graduate Show

2010-08-18T15:24:00.001+02:00

The Graduate Show sponsored by Foschini in partnership with the Cape Town Fashion Council was held at this years Cape Town Fashion Week (Thursday 12 August 2010)

This initiative was established by the Cape Town Fashion Council in 2008, with the aim of providing the best fashion students within the Western Cape with a platform to showcase their work to industry and media.

The joint winners of this years competition were: Nastashjia Fonnie (3r d year fashion design student at the Cape Town College of Fashion Design) and Darren de Waal, (3rd year fashion design student at Northlink College).

The Winners:

Darren de Waal

Nastashjia Fonnie

2009 Top Graduate:

Nadia van der Schyff.

Nadia was the top graduate from the 2009’s The Graduate Show and was asked to specially design a range for this year’s show.

The Other Finalists

Jenni Venter

3rd year fashion design student at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Mishkha Kellerman

3rd year fashion design student at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Chantel Marais

3rd year fashion design student at the Cape Town College of Fashion Design

Ricci Janse van Rensburg,

3rd year fashion design student at the Cape Town College of Fashion Design

Rushda Cozyn

(3rd year fashion design student at the Cape Town College of Fashion Design)

Kirstin Joy

(3rd year fashion design student at the Design Academy of Fashion Design)

All pictures by Simon Deiner, SDR Photo

2010-07-20T09:57:00.000+02:00

CAPE TOWN FASHION COUNCIL PARTNERS WITH MAJOR RETAILERS FOR AFI CAPE TOWN FASHION WEEK 2010.

Event Dates: 11 August & 14 August, 2010
Venue: Cape Town International Convention Centre

For the first time in South African history, AFI Cape Town Fashion Week will include the support of local talent with sponsorship from two of the country’s major retailers, Woolworths and Foschini. Both retailers are partnering with the Cape Town Fashion Council (CTFC), who hired African Fashion International (AFI) to manage production and marketing of these shows. The CTFC leveraged the retailer agreement based on their relationships with both partners, who are also members of the board at the council.

Follow the link http://www.ctfc.co.za/CTFW%20PRESS%20RELEASE-revised14%20July.pdf or visit our website www.ctfc.co.za to view Press Release.

Looking to Africa for inspiration...?

2010-07-09T13:45:00.000+02:00

One of the ongoing discussions in the CTFC office is that of global design and how it’s made use of African aesthetic. We noted that we’re always seeing examples of how these elements are used, but not really seeing the inspiration for these African elements cited or mentioned. We have also begun to question why most of these African inspired goods have not been made in Africa.

We then asked around and started talking to some industry members, and most agreed that Africa has been somewhat taken advantage of. Feedback from Foschini’s Merchandise Director and CTFC board member – Alex Harris, stating that ‘South Africa has what it takes to be globally competitive when it comes to design’ (mentioned at the CTFC Industry Conference – February 2010) comes to mind. Alex also listed numerous examples of this by citing international influential designers who have ‘come to South Africa and taken designs from our own backyard’ clearly seen with examples like ‘Diane Von Furstenberg’s wire bracelets, Christian Louboutin’s Ndebele inspired shoe designs and Dries Van Noten's African kanga-inspired dresses'. Fashion Editor/Style Blogger Robyn Cooke also stated; 'It is apparent in both the luxury goods market and the trendy high-street market that Africana sells in fashion. European giant ASOS has a new line dedicated to African prints and designers like Diane Von Furstenberg and Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton, are also leveraging the aesthetic. It seems a real pity, then, that they are not looking to Africa for the design or craftmanship. And so it feels a bit like they have pillaged our continent for the inspiration and culture and we are left poor and destitute in their wake, having gained nothing. It is time to fight back. By developing excellence in quality of construction and fabrication we have an opportnity to take our own, far more authentic, representation of Africana to the rest of the world. But we have a lot of hard work to do before we can meet their standards.

What we also find concerning is that local designers and retailers have not been looking inward, but have continued to look towards the western world for inspiration. This ongoing dialogue continues to pose the questions; should the process of looking inward to our local pool of talent be left to grow organically or should we spur it on? Or are we simply waiting to ride the wave of post-world cup success? These are questions we as members of industry seriously need to consider. So we’d like to hear your views!

Stiaan Louw Documentary...

2010-05-25T11:54:00.000+02:00

Director; Kyle Lewis and Producer; Sarah Ann Whittal decided to do a short documentary about Stiaan Louw, shedding some light on the brand and the persona. The doccie also covers his winter range as seen at this year’s Design Indaba. Have a look at the trailer below – it’s quite good!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXn5xH4lZZU

Istanbul Fashion Days-Comments by the CTFC Manager

2009-12-09T12:54:00.000+02:00

This year, for the first time, Turkey has initiated Istanbul Fashion Days; to promote Turkish designers, nationally and internationally. The event is funded by the Turkish Government through the Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporters Association (ITKIP). The Turkish textile industry has become one of the most important components of the Turkish economy with its export value of 6.6 billion US dollars and clothing exports of 15.2 billion US dollars as well as leather goods exports of 1.8 billion, in 2008. The clothing and textile sector currently contributes 8% to the Turkish GDP.

The Turkish Government realised the potential in local design brands and is supporting the fashion sector in various fields. The ITKIB supports the clothing & textile industry through: the coordination of participation in national and international trade fairs, arranging fashion shows in distinguished platforms and organising designer contests as well as training activities and seminars, including 100 different programmes shaped according to the needs of the sector. Research and Development Activities as well as the establishment of seven professional high schools have been established by the ITKIB. The ITKIB pays 100% of fair expenses (stand surface, construction, flight fee and hotel accommodation) for designers. Thereof the Turkish government pays 50 % of the fair cost of all the Turkish exhibitors including design brands. In target markets, like the USA and Russia, the government pays 60 % of the costs. The government also funds 50% of shop rentals for Turkish brands when starting to retail abroad.

The ITKIB is also funding the young designers contest – KOZA to identify, develop and promote new fashion design talent. Winners receive a prize of 5 000 US dollars and are sent to the UK to visit a language school to improve their language skills. Winners will also have the opportunity to work as assistants for various major brands, attending major fairs worldwide and receive membership to the Fashion Designers Association. In addition finalists present their designs to a selected group of guests, consisting of major brands and names in the business and fashion world, as well as Turkish and foreign members of the press. The ITKIB has been organizing this important contest for the past 17 years and introduced the event for the first time under the name KOZA at the Istanbul Fashion Days, this year. Major Turkish design names such as Arzu Kaprol(http://www.arzukaprol.net/) and Bahar Korcan( http://www.baharkorcan.org/) were winners of previous design contests and are designers who created their own brands with the support of the contest. This year 24 finalists including 16 ready to wear designers and eight leather wear designers were determined by the KOZA jury. Criteria included: level of creativity, new ideas, uniqueness of designs, ease of applicability and wear-ability, as well as creativity in choosing material and the harmony of material and design.
It is a part of the city’s ambitious plan to become a new fashion capital, internationally acknowledged for its creative flair and unique style. The ITKIB’s target is to make Istanbul one of the top five world fashion capitals, alongside Paris, Milan, New York and London by 2013. In 2010 the Istanbul Fashion Days will be held twice, in February and in August. To date Turkey has been known for its manufacturing capabilities. It is the industry’s goal to change that in order for the city to be renowned for design as well, similar to South Africa.
The Fashion Designers Association (MTD) was established in April 2006 as a non-governmental organization by seven established designers, with the main objective; to create a school of fashion to develop new and emerging talent that would rule the international fashion world in future. According to the ITKIB, MTD is mainly self funded through membership fees and projects are funded by government organizations as well as the private sector.

The key objectives of MTD are to:
- Advance the levels of fashion design as a branch of Turkish art and culture
- To raise design awareness and promote fashion through multi-faceted media communication
- To be the ‘bridge’ between the industry and the fashion designer and furthermore contribute to the sectors development
- To raise artistic and professional standards of the fashion design sector
- To support and nurture new and emerging talent

MTD has currently two key projects: Istanbul Fashion Lab and Galata Moda
The Fashion Lab is a boutique fair which takes place alongside the Istanbul Fashion Days and is organized and funded by MTD through the Turkish government. Opposed to ‘Brandist’, the fair set up that promotes larger retail brands, ‘The Fashion Lab’ focuses more on smaller designers. “The set-up looked very professional. Exhibitors were well prepared in terms of their merchandise and marketing material and products showcased were of a high quality.” Galata Moda is a fashion festival organized by the Istanbul Fashion Designers Association and is an alternative to luxury shopping centres still dominating the retail landscape in Turkey. The festival is a street platform for Istanbul designers to connect directly with consumers. The term ‘street platform’ does not mean it is all about street fashion. Customers are still able to buy sophisticated creations from established designers such as Bahar Korcan and Arzu Kaprol. Galata Moda is also a separate event to the Istanbul Fashion Days.

Beside the two main projects; that is the Fashion Lab and Galata Moda, MTD is currently focusing on the following activities:
- Developing partnerships with various universities and educational institutions and organizing workshops and trend seminars
- Facilitating internship programmes to big textile companies
- Developing fashion targeted social responsibility projects
- Developing joint projects with international organizations with similar objectives
Members of the MTD are obliged to pay for their membership according to the size of their business. Only designers who apply for membership will be considered. Design members have to have a fashion design qualification in order to be part of MTD. This is to ensure that a certain level of quality with design brands is adhered to when associated with MTD, and this is based on international models.
To ensure the right PR for Turkish designers, the ITKIB appointed L’Appart, a PR agency, to assist with inviting suitable journalists and buyers to the Istanbul Fashion Days. For this year’s Fashion Days they managed to get over 100 key media members and buyers from various destinations such as Brazil, France, Japan and Canada. Furthermore the ITKIB works with Margit Jandali’s PR Agency, which is based in Germany, to identify and invite buyers from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Russia, Poland, and Switzerland. “I also met with Feride Tansug who currently heads up the Istanbul office for L’Appart.” L’appart ‘s PR head office is based in Paris, France and recently opened its first fashion PR agency in Istanbul – which is the first fashion PR agency in Turkey.

Services of L’Appart PR include the following:
- Style and Trend advice with regard to the company’s collections
- Advice with regard to Fairs and Exhibitions to be attended by the Company, and the exposition of the Company’s collections or products in such fairs and exhibitions including; stand decorations, usage of presentation materials, invitation of potential buyers and the press
- Marketing and Development advice regarding price ranges, brand positioning and markets to be entered into by the Company
- Local and international press related backing
- To expose the Company’s new collection, every season and for the duration of each season, in its showroom for potential buyers and members of the press

In return the Agency receives a certain percentage of sales as well as a monthly fee.
The ITKIB has realised that in order to successfully penetrate international markets with their local fashion brands they need the assistance of a professional PR agency to attract the right audience to their fashion events and to identify the right fairs, internationally. Representatives of the Brazilian Fashion Council confirmed the importance of L’Apparts involvement to promote emerging brands.
“I got introduced to Sophie Guyot and Boris Provost, organizers of Who’s next, from Paris.” Who’s next is a trade fair events company who mainly promotes up-and-coming brands from all over the world. In fact one of their key mandates is to identify ‘who is next’. Who’s next organizes ten fairs per year in Paris, Dubai, Montreal, Beijing and Sao Paulo. The organizers have been extremely interested in fashion brands from South Africa and Africa and have requested me to send images. I have been advised that it would be of an advantage to present look books when attending such meetings. South Africa’s involvement in Who’s next could be key for increasing our visibility on the international fashion scene and to meet the right target audience. I am awaiting their response to my email, sent after my return to South African, of where South African design brands should possibly be placed.

Key learning’s and findings:
- First lesson: Business comes first, no one in the Turkish industry does something just out of passion, everything is ‘break-even related’
- Strong involvement of Exporter Association, the ITKIB promote local fashion brands
- Importance of the involvement of a professional PR fashion agency such as L’Appart to secure the right audience at Fashion Week and to place and promote fashion brands at the right fair and attract suitable buyers and media
- Turkish Government takes care of flight costs and accommodation for international media and buyers
- According to the ITKIP South Africa is one of their target markets, to market their textiles
- Fashion Week linked directly with trade fair

- Strengthening the cooperation of the designer/industry by uniting fashion designers and fashion brands under the same roof (Brandist versus Fashion Lab)

- Strong support of the Turkish Government towards design brands, which is necessary to enter global markets (50% of retail rent covered when retailing abroad, trade fair expenses are covered by 100%)

- Istanbul offers an excellent opportunity to have access to and network with influential international industry bodies, personalities and institutions, without the formal constraints of Paris or any of the other fashion capitals

- There is one fashion council in Turkey, based in the fashion centre of Istanbul

Recommendations:
- South Africa needs to identify the right PR Agency such as L’Appart to promote South African fashion outside of South Africa and to ensure that the right buyers are attending various Fashion Weeks, specifically when looking at 2010

- Formation of an Export Division of the fashion council or separate association to promote fashion export in particular

- South African design brands should be placed in showrooms in key target markets abroad and should attend appropriate fairs such as Who’s Next

- Further focus on quality and design excellence of products with the view on business growth potential rather than political correctness in order to succeed and create jobs within the industry

- Reconsidering the venue for Cape Town Fashion Week to a smaller venue that communicates and reflects Cape Town’s lifestyle and history

- Turkish textile manufacturer to sponsor South African designers with fabric (e.g. 2010 Fashion Week) to promote Turkish textile industry in South Africa and to resolve fabric restrictions for South African designers

- Develop thoughts around the introduction of a South African designers contest based on the KOZA model

- Formation of a National Fashion Council is key to realising all suggestions as well as to form a united strategy going forward, and access sufficient funds from government and the private sector