Women and their empowerment play an important role in the future-oriented and sustainable development of the South African fashion industry and in making South African designs even more visible in the international fashion world.
So at the July edition of this year‘s Texworld Evolution in Paris. A dedicated area featured the winners of the “Allfashion Sourcing Young Designers Competition”. The Young Designer Competition is part of allfashion sourcing Cape Town, the largest textile and fashion trade fair in Southern Africa. Thando Munkus Ntuli (winner 2021) and Carla Hanekom (winner 2022) were able to showcase their creations.
In addition, one outfit from each of their current collections was digitized in the form of a Virtual Fashion Outfit. This gave trade show visitors the opportunity to "try on" the pieces virtually.
Part of the special event was also a talk session on the topic "Women in Fashion - Focus South Africa". The Texpertise SDG Talk focused on women and their empowerment for a future-oriented and sustainable development in South African fashion.
Conversations with emerging South African women designers revolved around their work and where they see South Africa in achieving UN Development Goal 5 (gender equality). Speakers included Nerisha Jairaj (South African Footwear and Leather Export Council, Saflec), Leigh Schubert (Leigh Schubert Fashion Runway Collections), Thando Ntuli (Munkus) and Carla Hanekom.
“I would like to showcase that more than one aesthetic is possible with upcycling. The general design direction for my pieces strives for problem solving, multifunction and adjustability.“
“I am a millennial rooted by history and influenced by our predecessors. I aim to create new with what is and what was.“
