Often misconstrued as ‘tribal’ or ‘exotic’ or simplified to leopard skins and mud cloths, the African perspective of fashion has been trivialised by many cultures, and it has become a scapegoat for sentiments of Africa’s backwardness.
But the truth has always been the country because Africa, over and above a vast array of civilisations and cultural expressions has given humanity its identity and vote, and taught humanity how to conceal it’s nakedness before the majesty of the natural world.
When many “civilised societies” pursue their consumerist urges to destroy the natural world for self-gratification, Africa is now looking to re-evaluate its relationship with the planet through its dress, food and means of shelter.
It is often said that in Africa garments communicated status or marked a ritual or passage of time as people moved from one communal state to another; but can these ideals become also objectives for contemporary garment makers for present generations with transient cultural trends?
And having witnessed how the COVID-19 epidemic turned the global fashion industry on its head, what new interventions can African fashion designers endeavour to resuscitate the ailing industry which on the other hand can lift many people from poverty? Even post-COVI-19, designer production is halted, fashion shows and events are postponed or moved online, and brands have had to scramble to set up proper online businesses to make up for sales lost to store closures. As the global fashion industry grapples with the effects of the pandemic, Africa’s network of designers is particularly vulnerable to disruption.
But what innovative strategies can be used to resuscitate this otherwise fossilised industry, which is also facing a variety of socio-economic challenges steeped in local markets sentiments that have put many African economies under duress?
Solutions, of course have to come from fashion practitioners themselves, and while the future is bright for African fashion, it will only be if fashion practitioners they take hold of the narrative and get in front of the current boom. In order to avoid another tale of exploitation, designers must also learn to be business savvy, putting the correct infrastructure in place for the manufacture and sale of their products, as well as training a new crop of creatives who will carry the touch into the future.
When I first read a media release from a fashion design company that was conducting portable skills training in Matlosana, I was intrigued and at the same time enthused by the notion that there is an initiate that is taking eco-friendly and sustainable fashion to the masses. Naively, many fashionistas assume that under-resourced communities have no notion of preserving their environment through their means of subsistence, dress and shelter, and this initiate which is dubbed for Change is doing exactly that. Transforming minds at grassroots level, and conscientizing them of possibilities of up cycling, and recycling, thrifting for pre-loved garments to create even more strikingly fresh trends.
“Each one, teach one, we found that an appropriate motto for the Portable Skills Training because it speaks to Ree-Joy Designs not giving the youth fish, but teaching them how to fish, says Tebogo Mgodoyi, the training facilitator for the Fashion For Change Portable Skills Training Initiative. And she further alludes to the idea that through the initiative, the trainees are now becoming skilled to confront the ravages of unemployment, which they now can confront with skills that can be turned into livelihoods.
The training initiate, in its fifth month has trained seven abled women and youth, together with three trainees from TechFord Disability Centre, and this audacious one to impart skills to the disabled is also an essential objective for the initiate. And through the support of BASA PESP Grant, Fashion For Change is clearly making waves within the Matlosana Municipality, as now the trainees are preparing for a fashion show to be held on the 14th of February 2024 at The Klerksdorp Museum.
With their audacity and indelible efforts and the hard work they have put into the creative garments they constructed, they will have an opportunity to exhibit for their community, proving their true grit to a number of fashion industry stakeholders attending to witness the resurgence of fashion talent with “The Platinum Province”.
“Through this show, we will be exhibiting proof that with resilience and passion, our arts can become our saving skills and take us out of poverty. And with the garments that are bro be seen, the theme of sustainable fashion and eco friendly practices will be clearly displayed with the hope that may people will move towards recycling and upcycling their garments for upcoming trends”, concludes Ms. Mgodoyi.
