Promoting African Fashion

Few South African fashion designers, clothing and textile companies use convenient inexpensive marketing tools to promote their fashion labels and products to a wide local and international market. The reasons are numerous. Many fashion designers say they do not have the time to develop their marketing tools while others relay on platforms like fashion weeks which have a limited life to market and promote their brand.

The ReDress Consultancy-South Africa is a widely respected research and development brand that has a primary focus on the apparel industry. This platform "RedDress Stitching Links" is an expensive way to market your label and provide the space for consumers to interact with you.

This is a platform for:

Fashion Designers
• Boutiques,
• Manufacturers, CMTs, patternmakers, seamstresses, graders
• Suppliers or service operations to the apparel industry
• Trend Forecasters
• Stylists
• Model Agencies
• Fashion Photographers
• Government trade and industry departments
• Fashion/ Apparel representative organisations
• Community based projects and NGOs wishing to market to the fashion sector
• Corporations wanting to sell products or services to this industry sector
• Announcements of fashion related events.
• International companies seeking to import South African/ African fashion or wanting to establish contacts with Africa based designers.
• International companies wanting to market to or enter the South African/African apparel market sector.

Interview With South Africa's Top Fashion Insider, Renato Palmi
By ladybrille.

LADYBRILLE.com: You do extensive research on South Africa's fashion industry. Why the keen interest?

RENATO: I always had an interest in clothing and my research started with looking at the local and global clothing sectors [as you know in South Africa many clothing companies over the years have closed because they could not compete with the cheaper Chinese imports.] While researching this economic sector I began to think about the fashion industry and the role of fashion designers in the complex web of the global and local clothing industry. I began to establish contact within the South African fashion sector, started to attend fashion events and meet with designers.

FAIR TRADE & ETHICAL FASHION
Another area of long standing interest I have is fair trade and ethical fashion ... and have began to lecture on fair trade/ethical fashion to students as well as lecturing on fashion branding, marketing and sales within the fashion sector. My skills and experience in the corporate sector has provided me with a wealth of information relating to sales & marketing.

LADYBRILLE.com: So what is it you seek to achieve?

RENATO: I want to establish networks and contact with foreign boutiques that may have an interest in stocking South African fashion design[s]. I want to network with fashion/ clothing organisations and bodies to build up relationships for developmental and transnational opportunities ... such as facilitating designers to attend fashion events, fashion/clothing trade events to market SA design. I also wish to have access to attend conferences to talk and present on SA fashion/clothing sector. I also want to create stronger relationships with the fashion industry throughout Africa to establish collaborative networks and projects to promote both SA and African design. I really think that we in Africa must work closer together and I can facilitate this.
TOO MUCH EGOS and FASHION WEEKS in S.A.

LADYBRILLE.com: Let us [narrow in] on the fashion industry in South Africa. What would you say is the current state of [South] Africa's fashion industry?

RENATO: Very complex and very fragmented. There are so many egos and people with financial backing that are exploiting young inexperienced designers. At the moment one of the big debates is the role of Fashion Weeks. We have about 4-6 Fashion Week events in South Africa mostly controlled by two companies that are always fighting for space, sponsorship and in the middle of all of this the designers suffer. The debate in South Africa is, should there be so many Fashion Weeks or only one? My research indicates that the designers want as many opportunities and platforms to promote their creations. Due to the politics of fashion if a designer shows in one event that is controlled by company (A), then the designer cannot show the same range in another event that is controlled by company (B). Another problem is the cost of local designed content. Most South African consumers look at price and because of the imports from China, and other Asian countries being far cheaper than local manufactured design consumers are not supporting South African designers in the manner that they should.

Another issue that we are trying to address is the lack of business skills by fashion designers. They come out of a fashion college and have the ability to create lovely designs but have no business skills. We are trying to regulate the industry and develop stronger business skills in the educational schools. If anyone monitored the fashion industry in South Africa they would get the impression that the industry is really buzzing and developing but most of the hype is around the glitz of fashion and not the business of fashion so another important issue that must be addressed is to educate the media so that they look at the developmental opportunities fashion has for South Africa. This is where I come in, through my research, articles I write and the development of business networks with designers.

AFRICAN DESIGNERS and INTERNATIONAL MARKETS
LADYBRILLE.com: There has been a lot of push, particularly from South Africa's Fashion industry, to break into the international markets, particularly the USA. Do you think this goal is attainable?

RENATO: Some fashion designers [very few] have broken into the international market but for the vast majority this is a dream. I don't think it is because of our lack of creative talent. It comes back to business skills.... and production facilities. For example last year at one big Fashion Week a local designer was given the opportunity to produce about 300/400 garments that he had showcased at the fashion event for an export order. The designer could not do the order because he did not have the money nor the experience and facilities to produce the 300/400 garments within the timeframe that the buyer wanted. Therefore it is imperative that we get our production skills in place and then move into the export market. Here again is where people with my skills are trying to help. Internationally more South African designers are being given the opportunity to showcase at international fashion events and there is so much hype about this but we have to ask the question and then what? There is very little continual progress for the designer after participating at an international event so what is the goal of doing these events? This sounds in contradiction to what I said earlier about wanting opportunities to facilitate more exposure at international fashion events for SA designers but the difference would be to develop their business and establish business opportunities through participating in these foreign events.
Getting African Fashion Products into the USA.

LADYBRILLE.com: [Okay] So, in your observations and experience, what do you believe are the real challenges that preclude South African Fashion Products from being exported into the USA?

RENATO: I think the exchange rate affects us. But it is also the lack of skills in mass production, the lack of business skills, and the difficulty of local production. As you know buyers are always driving the price down and most designers cannot meet these demands. There is an alternative, designers can get their designs made in say Asian countries but they will then not have control over the quality and delivery of their products and I really believe that all production should remain in this country to make sure that the garment is a truly proudly South African product. Therefore, it is imperative that we develop clusters, incubators and systems that can help market, produce and exports local design content but this is not happing at the moment. Another issue is the ability to maintain quality. A designer can make a one-off garment that is excellent quality but when they get into mass production the quality seems to diminish.
Africa's Strong Fashion Brands

LADYBRILLE.com: There is big talk on branding and importance of brands. Is Africa able to build strong fashion brands like the West?

RENATO: A good question. There is a lot of debate about what is a South African brand? We have I think exploited the "South African" design brand whatever that means ... we need to develop a brand mix, something that foreigners and South Africans will feel comfortable in wearing, but at the same time having a very interesting unique brand. I think we are slowly getting there ... at a Fashion Week I have just attended I saw the development of interesting design brands from the younger designers ... so this is a work in progress development.

Swimgear SA

SWIMGEAR SA is a South African company based in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

Contact: Mr. John Guinness

Tel: 031-2612681

Fax: 031-2612685

Email: aquagear@iafrica.com

Web: http://www.swimgearsa.com/

No.65 Jan Smuts Highway, Mayville 4091, Durban, South Africa

South African Fashion Graduates

Looking for South African Fashion Graduates contact Linea Academy (Pty) Ltd. A Durban based fashion college. Click here to go to the Linea blog.

P.O.W.A.R

"POWAR will help survivors of any form of abuse and rape. I want to take my negative experience and turn it into something positive for other survivors … You can have a life after rape." Jessica Foord

Jessica Foord's testimony is of a brave & courageous young rape survivor who wants to turn her traumatic gang rape experience of 02.03.2008 into a POWARFUL purpose to help other rape survivors by building a P.O.W.A.R Centre - a safe, compassionate and comfortable 'home' environment for rape survivors to go to for the first 24 - 48 hours after the incident has occurred. And we need YOUR help please to make this dream a REALITY.
Until she has her PBO Status for Corporate Financial Donations in place, please search your hearts, homes and companies for items on her needs list (attached) that could be donated in the mean time. Please contact her on 079 284 1262

Now is the time to market and create brand awareness

The meltdown of international, regional and country specific financial institutions and the global economy as a whole and the subsequent trickle-down consequences for consumers is having a negative impact on the apparel industry. However, there are opportunities for companies and in particular for smaller independent boutiques and designers (I am referring in particular to South Africa) to consolidate their business; revisit their marketing strategy and customer relations in order to capture market growth. There is no necessity for South African designers and small boutiques to become victims of this financial calamity.

The global financial crisis has forced most consumers to re-evaluate their spending in line with "wants" and "needs" when it comes to buying and in particular the purchasing of clothing. It is imperative for independent fashion designers, clothing companies and boutiques to find alternative creative marketing opportunities such as the opportunity that "ReDress Stitching Links" offer. Research and empirical evidence indicates that cutting back on marketing and advertising in recessions has both a short and long term negative impact on business operations.

It is essential for South Africa fashion and apparel companies to market and communicate value, integrity and excellent customer services. While most companies will be finding ways to save on overheads and retain their market share an opportunity presents itself for those companies and individuals who see the larger picture, think in the long term and create a bigger presence in the market place through intelligent, cost-effective marketing and promotional strategies.

Intelligent marketing and promotion consists of active, smart, focused, creative and strategic brand development where companies can interact with the market, their customers and potential customers. This is the ideal time to build your brand, your reputation and position in the market.

Companies in the South African apparel market and affiliated companies such as (fashion photographers, trend forecasters, stylists, suppliers etc) need to communicate their services, effectively and efficiently to their targeted market they need to change not only the consumers but their potential clients thinking from a "want" to a "need" and this is only done through projecting their benefits, unsurpassed service and value.

What is marketing innovation? It's being creative with what you have. It's getting feet into your boutique. Having potential customers seeking you out because they have heard of you, seen your marketing and because you provide excellent service with quality products at a good price.

For example, UK apparel company, The Moss Bros menswear group is offering a "credit crunch" suit, shirt and tie package for £49.00. Consumers can choose between six Moss suits, three shirts and eight ties. This strategy brings shoppers through their door; the company captures their details for further marketing campaigns and each shopper who takes advantage of this offer becomes a walking advert for the company.

Futurist forecaster and author Faith Popcord said," consumers [are looking for] new benefits when they purchase clothing. Was the item of clothing made in a good way (the reviewing of the production value-chain), is the quality good … what does the boutique, the big company the individual designer stand for."

Act now -Ask ReDress for its advertising rate card.