We all have heard the president proudly announcing that his suit for the State of the Nation Address (#SONA2019) was designed and manufactured locally, right?
Indeed, it was absolutely a great thing to get a nod from No1. Many have hoped for it for a very long time, as the fabric sector faces tough challenges from cheap and well-established competition internationally.
During his State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa told millions of South Africans who were watching him live on TV that the House of Monatic had designed and made the suit he was dressed in. Ramaphosa said: ‘The suit, the shirt and the tie I am wearing today was locally made by South African textile workers working at the House of Monatic, here in Salt River, Cape Town.’
This has local designers and manufactures inspired and hope it would become more and more common for people to use locally made clothes at various glitz and glamour events.
Wendy Nathan, a director at the firm says she hopes the call by Ramaphosa goes beyond just being another punchline and instant national attention.
‘We hope this would inspire people to buy locally made clothing. For us, it’s a call for change, to say our garments are as good as any of the brands out there,’ she said.
She adds, ‘this was an honour. We were excited. We then went all out and dispatched our design team to meet with him at his residence here in Cape Town. Our seamstresses worked flat out to deliver the suit in time. It was done in one day.’
Well, in case you did not know, despite all the trouble that the industry has experienced over the years, which should be widely detailed, they are other local designers.
Sit down to checkout some of our fabulous local designers.
Nkhensani Nkosi (Stoned Cherrie)
Nkosi is a South African actress, television personality, fashion designer and entrepreneur best known as the founder and creative director of the Stoned Cherrie fashion label. Nkosi has told various publications that after travelling throughout Africa in 1999 as the host and official spokesperson for M-Net’s Face of Africa, she recognized that there was a gap in the market – the urban energy that exists on the continent was not being branded and packaged into products.
There was an opportunity to build an African brand that celebrated South Africa’s new sense of identity and explored in a creative way what it means to be an African in the 21st Century. Here is one of her designs.
David Tlale
One of the many others who don’t need an introduction, Tlale is a South African fashion designer whose work has been showcased at the Cape Town Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week and the Paris Fashion Week.
He has also designed collections for major retailers like Edgars. One of Tlale's designs
Linda Gale (Stitch & Steel)
Gale is a Mpumalanga born business woman, mother, and fashion designer. She says her first tip to Malawi is what made her fall in love with her brands identity as some elements were always in place. Having honed her craft before the advent of Stitch & Steel, Gale continues to operate small while thinking big. Small quantities with some once offs, make for unique purchases. Hand selected fabrics made by local artisans help support local industry.
