The ‘fast’ fashion industry is responsible for abominable levels of water consumption, pollution, and waste. Enterprising entrepreneurs in South Africa are looking to natural materials and upcycling to make every-day clothing more sustainable. 



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Atlas-Label-Wetsuit-3-730x1024.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-48498" width="313" height="439" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Atlas-Label-Wetsuit-3-730x1024.jpeg 730w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Atlas-Label-Wetsuit-3-214x300.jpeg 214w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Atlas-Label-Wetsuit-3-768x1077.jpeg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Atlas-Label-Wetsuit-3-1095x1536.jpeg 1095w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Atlas-Label-Wetsuit-3-1460x2048.jpeg 1460w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Atlas-Label-Wetsuit-3-300x421.jpeg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Atlas-Label-Wetsuit-3-600x842.jpeg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Atlas-Label-Wetsuit-3-scaled.jpeg 1825w" sizes="(max-width: 313px) 100vw, 313px" /><figcaption>Atlas Label uses material that can be repaired many times over</figcaption></figure></div>



What are you wearing? Examine your outfit as you read this. Maybe a T-shirt or a trendy new dress. Denims, perhaps? Or more likely a stretchy pair of sweatpants and socks now that we&#8217;re all mostly working from home. 



‘Fast’ fashion makes clothes-shopping more affordable but at an increasingly environmental cost. According to a 2018 United Nations report, “the global fashion industry produces 20 percent of global wastewater and 10 percent of global carbon emissions – more than all international flights and maritime shipping”. Then there’s textile dyeing, pegged as the second-largest polluter of water globally. Did you know it takes around 7,570 liters of water to create a pair of jeans?&nbsp;



Step one in sustainability: Reduce. Then reuse and recycle. One antidote to fast fashion is to shift away from seasons. Pre-pandemic, big-name brands would launch collections between four and six times year, with fashion houses like Zara reportedly introducing more than 20 different collections a year.&nbsp;



Cristina Rovere is the founder of environment-friendly swimwear and wetsuit brand, Atlas Label. “We do not make any seasonal collections&#8230; and we encourage everyone who owns an Atlas Label product to consider repairs as a first option. We believe in making better choices and in taking responsibility for what you purchase. Use it, love it, care for it. Repeat.”&nbsp;



A love for surfing (and thus the ocean) led Rovere to create wetsuits that are better for the planet. “As surfers, we see the amount of rubbish first-hand on the beach. It’s a push to start making better choices,” she tells FORBES AFRICA. Typically, wetsuits are made from a kind of rubber called neoprene, a synthetic polymer derived from petroleum, but her Japanese-inspired suits use limestone neoprene (rubber derived from crushed limestone) instead. “It has incredible technical properties and can be repaired many times over.”  



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HempLove-2-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48499" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HempLove-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HempLove-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HempLove-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HempLove-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HempLove-2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HempLove-2-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HempLove-1-683x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48505" width="346" height="518" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HempLove-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HempLove-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HempLove-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HempLove-1-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HempLove-1-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HempLove-1-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HempLove-1-600x900.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HempLove-1-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes="(max-width: 346px) 100vw, 346px" /><figcaption>HempLove uses natural materials for its garments.</figcaption></figure></div>



Generally speaking, natural materials are better for the environment, but it’s not a straightforward argument. Cotton, for example, is not a prominent pollutant but has downsides in terms of labor and land. Lorè Botha co-founded HempLove in April 2019. “Based on our research, hemp requires ten times less the amount of water and half the amount of land than cotton. Our slow collection entails that all the garments and textiles are dyed using plant waste sourced from farmers and restaurants in South Africa.”&nbsp;



Such natural materials are not new on the fashion scene, but they are increasingly being used from head to toe. Launched in 2014 by a family of milliners, Simon and Mary hats are made from 100% wool felt and hemp. (They are also part of a tree-planting project with South African reforestation organization, Greenpop and use rainwater to save roughly 30,000 liters per month). 



Laduma Ngxokolo has also been using local mohair, and merino wool since 2012 for luxury knitwear brand, Maxhosa Africa, and Davie Hutchison founded bamboo-blended Sexy Socks in 2014. “Sexy Socks was, I think, one of the first social enterprise brands in the South African market, and we have always been eco-conscious.” The colorful socks are not only made from sustainable and biodegradable materials but also have social impact. For every pair of Sexy Socks bought, one goes to a child in need. 



When natural materials aren&#8217;t used, clothing clogs the system. According to American Vogue, “an estimated 50 million tonnes of clothing is discarded every year, and most of it will not biodegrade in a landfill”.&nbsp;



Makhosazane Rosa Sekgwama, has come up with an innovative way to combat such fashion waste. “We use recycled materials from the local clothing industry that would otherwise be discarded. Local factory offcuts become the yarn that we use to crochet all our products,” Sekgwama tells FORBES AFRICA.&nbsp;



Her brand, ROSA Handmade in SA, made The V&amp;A Waterfront&#8217;s ‘100 Beautiful Things’ list and consists of woven rugs, lovingly-made baby baskets and handbags. However, being green comes with its challenges. &nbsp;



“We rely on yarn wholesalers who directly source from the clothing factories making upscaling impossible as there is a limit of each color we get from them. We also avoid dyeing materials ourselves, which would enable us to make more products of the same color range but pose an environmental hazard.”&nbsp;



Back in Cape Town, growing interest in Atlas Label wetsuits led Rovere to investigate a more affordable offering for ocean-lovers. “Our swimwear is made of Econyl, regenerated Italian nylon made from post-consumer waste, including ghost fishing nets removed from our oceans. Econyl is a certified product, and we have a signed communications agreement with them, which keeps us in constant contact and sets us apart from many other businesses.”&nbsp; &nbsp;



Nombuso Nomzamo Khanyile from Afrikan Passions Designs tells FORBES AFRICA that footwear also springs from waste. “We upcycle discarded car tyres and use them as sandal soles, reducing car tyres as environmental pollutants. The majority of our customers are attracted to us mainly because we upcycle.”



Indeed, this kind of thinking is no longer niche. Sekgwama says: “The competition is high. Both new and existing retailers are changing to be more eco-friendly, attract discerning consumer attention and gain preference. The scourge of Covid-19 [also] opened more eyes to the need to support local businesses and authentic products manufactured locally.”&nbsp;



Rovere agrees and says “South Africa is still catching up, but with the internet being such an open asset to everyone, the global movement for consumerism has definitely shifted towards more conscious purchases. We even see changes in the companies that used to create fast fashion, so overall knowledge around sustainability is increasing”. &nbsp;



South African Fashion Week (SAFW) has 600 local designers on the database, according to the event’s founder and director Lucilla Booyzen. “There are a lot of grey areas around sustainability for our SA Fashion Designers. None of them, as far as I know, are fully sustainable, as it is very difficult for any company to be fully sustainable.”&nbsp;



Zippers, underwires, buttons and packaging can all hamper sustainability efforts, but has there been a rise in eco-conscious clothing on the runways? “Yes, definitely,” Booyzen says. “This season, all the designers at SAFW are showing what we call slow fashion collections based on up-cycling, recycling and no waste&#8221;.&nbsp;



Likewise, the winter collections of more accessible household brands prove traditional retailers are catching on too. Both K-Way and Woolworths revamped their fashionable puffer jackets, filling them with recycled plastic fibers instead of duck down. Buyers at K-Way note, however, that the adoption rate to sustainable wear in South Africa is generally lower than the rest of the world and recycled synthetic has had a slow start.&nbsp;



Conscious fashion has become increasingly important in South African retail, and waste reduction on a large scale would help to close the loop and create a better circular economy. If local fashion can become more sustainable and effectively reduce the load on South African landfills, all the better. Especially given that the City of Johannesburg’s Environmental, Infrastructure and Services estimate the city has three years before landfill sites reach full capacity.&nbsp;



“Once you dip into sustainability, it becomes a part of your life,” says Rovere, likening the movement to a continuous journey. “It&#8217;s about making better choices. One item of sustainable clothing might just lead to better choices at the supermarket. It leaves a lasting impact on your purchasing decisions going forward.”



By Melanie van Zyl

AfrikanPassionDesigns_NiamhWalsh-Vorster-1

Conscious Couture: Swimwear From Fishing Nets And Soles From Tyres

Laduma Ngxokolo found business where many saw tragic headlines. Circumcision has long been a controversial business in South Africa where young initiates sometimes may never return from the rigorous stay in the hills and return alive.
Ngxokolo saw business in the celebration of the return of the young men. Having been to the hills himself, he knew that boys gave away their clothes before the mountains and were given new clothes on their return.
Hailing from the small kingdom of Pondoland, in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province, Ngxokolo conceptualized MaXhosa – a business weaving the designs of the Xhosa culture into knitwear, using locally sourced textiles like mohair.
The Xhosa initiates are given new clothes, usually formal wear bought by their parents, which they have to wear for six months after their return from the mountains. Ngxokolo says many of these initiates do not like the clothes their parents buy for them finding them too westernized.
The cardigans are thickly knit with various patterns of triangles, stripes and zig-zags using dusty reds, oranges, yellows and blues, woven into brown wool. His inspiration stems from Xhosa beadwork patterns and the delicate tones of the Xhosa color palette. He started by only making jerseys and cardigans for men, but has now ventured into women’s wear, knitting skirts and dresses.
“This is why I decided to focus on knitwear, because the parents often go buy premium products for their sons,” says Ngxokolo.
By designing Xhosa-inspired knitwear, he would capture it in a way to preserve this heritage.
But his journey of becoming an entrepreneur was learned at his mother’s knees.
In his teenage years, it was inevitable that Ngxokolo’s mother Lindelwa, a knitwear designer in Port Elizabeth, would teach him how to knit using a hand-machine. Ngxokolo enjoyed doing craftwork and beadwork with his mother which influenced his designs. When he was 17 years old, his mother died, leaving Ngxokolo and three siblings to fend for themselves. It was a sad moment in his life, but his mother’s influence inspired him to turn a hobby into a business.
After finishing high school, Ngxokolo studied textile design and technology at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in the Eastern Cape. This was the turning point in his life. His flair for knitwear earned him a bursary from the Port Elizabeth-based Cape Wools SA as well as Mohair South Africa.
In 2010, Ngxokolo established his brand – MaXhosa. He also found inspiration exploring astonishing traditional beadwork, craft, patterns, symbolism and colors he found at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum in Port Elizabeth. This inspiration was incorporated into his modern knitwear range.
He entered his thesis, ‘Finding Innovative Designs For Xhosa Initiates To Wear’ into the South African leg of The Society of Dyers and Colourists competition which he won and went on to win the international leg of the competition. This prize resulted in Ngxokolo speaking at Design Indaba, one of the biggest conferences of its kind in Cape Town which is attended by many people from across the continent. The media coverage from the Indaba helped publicize MaXhosa.
“At the time, I wasn’t exposed to business and I didn’t have many customers,” he says.
A promoter forwarded Ngxokolo’s contact details to a magazine where he was given the opportunity to showcase at the Vauxhall Emerging Designers Scout which coincided with London Fashion Week in September the same year.
From here, he was given $14,000 seed capital to learn about business and which helped his business to hire five women from his community to work for him. Because his products were produced in Cape Town, Ngxokolo made the move to Vuya Fashions, a factory just outside the city, where his garments are made. The raw materials are sourced from Port Elizabeth.
Since then, Ngxokolo has showcased at numerous fashion weeks, including his first stand-alone show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Joburg, and even had his own pop-up store in London.
This has propelled his brand to be known all over the world, from the streets of Cape Town to Paris.
“When I see people wearing my designs I feel overwhelmed,” he says.
Today, Ngxokolo says he focuses his time on creating custom-made designs ranging from cardigans, jerseys, dresses, skirts and throws that can sell at prices up to $500. Although he doesn’t have his own store, numerous retailers like Merchants on Long in Cape Town, and some from Namibia, England, France and Holland loved his products so much that they decided to stock the items in their shops.
In the future, he hopes to establish his own studio where his entire team would sit in one room and also keep his relationship with the manufacturers. Ngxokolo also wants to open up MaXhosa stores in fashion capitals across the world and also move into lifestyle designing like couches, and using mohair for rugs.
When he launched a collection in Paris called ‘My Heritage, My Inheritance’ in 2013, he says it was blessed because he dedicated it to his mother.
“My late mother’s dream as a knitwear designer in the eighties was to travel to Paris to see high-end fashion. Unfortunately circumstances denied her the opportunity to make her dream a reality. Twelve years after her passing, I had the privilege of being invited by the Labo Ethnik Fashion Week in Paris to showcase my knitwear collection,” he says.
One challenge that gives him pins and needles is that the demand in South Africa is quite small because the thick woolly mohair garments are not suitable for Africa’s warm weather.
“But for Europe and overseas it makes business sense,” he says.
“In future, I hope to sell more in Europe as the weather dictates, summer designs would be much thinner.”
For now, he sets his eyes on a master’s degree in textiles at Central Saint Martins in London. And this is how Ngxokolo will knit his way to the bank.

Tag: Laduma Ngxokolo

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Conscious Couture: Swimwear From Fishing Nets And Soles From Tyres

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