The revitalisation of Durban’s fashion industry

Senzo Ntuli Durban fashion

The revitalisation of Durban’s fashion industry could be the ultimate rags to riches story and the annual Durban Fashion Fair (DFF), which is hosted by the eThekwini Municipality, could play a significant role in providing jobs for the city’s talented youth.

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This year’s event, which takes place between September 19 and 22 at the Durban ICC, will showcase the work of 40 South African designers and nine designers from the rest of the continent.

While there are some big names and established designers such as Amanda Laird Cherry, Karen Monk Klingstra and Chu Suwannapha included, the largest portion of participating designers are under 35.

According to Stats SA, the national youth unemployment rate (15 to 34 year-olds) is approximately 40 percent. A large proportion are graduates. Durban has a number of tertiary institutions, many of which teach fashion design.

In light of this, Honourable Mayor of the eThekwini Municipality, Cllr Zandile Gumede, says she is particularly proud of the mentorship programme which culminates in the DFF.

Each year, a group of young talents are handpicked and mentored in order to make their debut into this extremely tough sector a little easier. Overall, approximately 200 young designers have completed the DFF mentorship programme. This year, 20 mentees participated.

The theme for this year’s event Afrofuturism. “We hear about the unfolding fourth industrial revolution and the impact of technology and disruption on companies. But, sometimes, it is also good to start with the basics and inculcate a belief in the future of the African fashion industry in our youth. We may not have many large clothing manufacturers to snap up our new talents but we do have a spirit of entrepreneurship that is alive and well and could create thriving new businesses going forward,” says Gumede.

Durban Fashion Fair (DFF)

An example is Mxolisi Mkhize (House of St Luke) who made an entrance at the DFF 2012. “My Business has grown from strength to strength. I have grown as a business man and I see tremendous growth in revenue,” he says.

In just six years, Mkhize has created jobs for an illustrator, pattern maker, a personal assistant and three cutters and machinists.

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