Over the past few months, three major South African fashion events have been featured in local and national media: the MTN Durban Fashion Week, the Nokia Cape Town Fashion Week and the Sanlam SA Fashion Week. Now that the lights have dimmed on the catwalk, questions within and beyond the fashion industry revolve around what the economic returns of these productions will and should be, for the participant designers and for other key players in the value chain. What is there to show, beyond the showings?
There is strong argument emanating from established designers and fashion media analysts that the South African fashion sector needs a perspicacity injection, such that a strategic growth plan for a financially viable and sustainable industry balances the glamour co-efficient to which these operations are typically reduced. Such commentary suggests that a cumulative complacency among organisers and designers has narrowed the vision of the Fashion Weeks to the pursuit of visibility for its own sake being seen for and on the social pages rather than as a powerful brand manifestation leading to sales of units and an increasingly viable industry.
Certainly, fashion design and production cannot and should not attempt to downplay its inherent creative role in the infinite revolution and evolution of what is beautiful and stylish. However, this role requires a grasp of the subtleties of intention and execution that take this expressive aesthetic further afield than the pedestal of one-off haute couture, into wearable and affordable art-forms. While neither dismissing nor diminishing the achievements of some designers who have gained visibility for their labels and increased their revenue through showing their ranges at such fora, fashion events in South Africa are relatively immature as strategic marketing experiences in terms of their broader economic contribution. Research, both in the field and of related literature, shows that there are a multitude of business opportunities prior to, during and after the shows that remain unexplored, truncating the reach of these events and stunting the enormous potential of our local design community.
For example, neither local nor overseas buyers were present at the Durban Fashion Week in June, apparently because designers have in the past been unable to process orders of any notable volume. Focused interviews with designers corroborate this finding, and several research participants in a recent study indicated that they have learnt the hard way about the necessity for forward planning when signing up for Fashion Weeks. Having received orders for their designs modelled at the events, they find it difficult if not impossible to fulfil them due to lack of capacity, non-availability of the selected fabrics, or an inability to make the garments at the right price should production be outsourced to local manufacturers.
A fundamental challenge facing not only our designers but the clothing and textile sector as a whole, is that of realising the importance of the fashion designer in the value chain. South African designers, manufacturers and textile suppliers need to identify ways of working together to facilitate the production of ready-to-wear garments at reasonable cost, so promoting entry into the wider consumer markets, both in South Africa and overseas. Two rapidly emerging trends in terms of commercialising fashion design are Fashion Districts and Fashion Councils, both of which are geared towards proactive representation of and for the industry.
These are certainly welcome developments, as they would stimulate impetus for local talent and content, providing more resources to and opportunities for designers in gaining local and international exposure. Paradoxically, though, these initiatives could have a negative impact on the industry, if, as industrial incubators, they are poorly managed and maintained. Sound business principles need to underpin the fun and the funky if these schemes are to result in tangible, meaningful support for designers. One fear expressed in design circles is that the Districts and Councils will amount to little more than mini-fashion kingdoms for self-serving individuals - as seems to be the case in instances of Fashion Week owners publicly sparring for control over these showcase events.
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