3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item The emergence of eco fashion in South Africa: fleeting fad or environmental conservation breakthrough?(2024) Gatawa, Nyasha GraceFrom the iridescent sunny slopes of the Alps to the murkily golden streets of London to heritage rich Kazakhstan and wildly exotic Kenya as well as cosmopolitan upbeat New York, the global fashion industry has a creative vibrancy. The fashion industry reverberates with palpable regional inspiration, drawing global cultural energy and unique local design artistry. The rise of sustainable fashion has been concentrated in the more developed countries but has now seen local designers in South Africa launch eco collections as they focus on sustainability. Eco friendly fashion has the potential to change the landscape of the fashion industry in South Africa. The fast fashion/slow fashion dichotomy has been a central feature of the industry in recent years. The emergence of eco fashion in South Africa is also in line with the growing policy priority of the green economy and the circular economy principles influence on fashion design. There has been very little study on the fashion industry in South Africa and currently only a few researchers are working in this sector providing a gap for the study. This study focuses on small fashion design businesses operating in a formal manner across South Africa and their approach to environmental sustainability as well as their launch of eco collections. While only a few designers participated in the study, findings from the study can be extrapolated to the rest of the small-sector and also give clues to the way medium sized and large players in the sector are dealing with sustainability in their operations. The study investigates to a limited extent sustainability trends across South Africa documenting trends observable in large clothing chains. The study findings indicate a high awareness of sustainability from the garment or apparel maker standpoint yet a very evident lack of engagement by the targeted consumer in the markets surveyed. Eco fashion in South Africa has not been widely studied and this study seeks to fill in the gaps and contribute to current debates by focusing on small designers and how there is an emergent interest and focus on eco fashion. The study presents six cases that are analysed as comparative cases that can provide insight into trends in this sector in response to eco 10 fashion. The study was mainly a qualitative study relying on email surveys, telephonic interviews and other online and social media investigations. The need to interrogate eco fashion in South Africa is apparent and to see how developments in this sector could be an avenue to spread environmental awareness through the sector. Eco fashion has had a slow trajectory in the African market and this study addresses this. The COVID- 19 pandemic has cast a concerning shadow on the fashion industry globally, shifting consumer purchasing patterns, and may significantly impact the values and approach of the industry regarding sustainability. The COVID- 19 pandemic had a devastating impact on many industries globally and even as lockdown restrictions are now being lifted, the future remains uncertain in many localities. The fashion industry has been one of the most industries affected by the ongoing pandemic, with the closure of ‘brick and mortar’ shops at the height of the pandemic fury, and a move to online shopping more discernibly. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for nature and mankind to find a symbiotic balanced relationship safeguarding biomes, ecosystems, and the fragile balance of nature. The pandemic has revealed real fragilities in the way mankind has interacted with and impacted nature. Social justice inequalities in the global fashion value and supply chains have also been revealed by the pandemic in a visible way especially in countries that use cheap labour. When the pandemic suddenly emerged across the world in early 2020 and as the virus shutdowns occurred, countries in the east like Bangladesh where fashion producing factories are located faced devastating financial losses and employee welfare imbalances were exposed almost immediately. Mass cancellations of scheduled fashion orders and scheduled deliveries to regions around the world hit factories in the east with real impact leading to factory closures and job losses particularly in the east (McIntosh, 2020). Eco fashion may have arrived in South Africa to herald a new era in garment making but against the backdrop of a time in history (COVID- 19) that has crippled businesses. The trajectory of sustainability in the South African fashion industry may well be derailed or significantly altered.Item The emerging role of the fashion industry in Johannesburg's tourism development strategy(2008-03-18T10:32:34Z) Gatawa, Nyasha GraceABSTRACT The tourism industry has been described as one of the world’s highest priority industries and has emerged as a significant sector in many global economies including South Africa. The global fashion industry is also a multi-billion dollar industry and in many parts of the world is a huge draw card for tourists. Cities like Paris, Milan and New York have long been acclaimed for their thriving fashion industries. In recent times non-traditional fashion cities such as Kenya, Beirut, Lyon and Amsterdam have increasingly looked to the fashion industry for economic and tourism development. The South African fashion industry has flourished in recent years with the emergence of a new genre of design houses redefining South African fashion. It is against this background that the focus of this study was to investigate the link between fashion and tourism in the city of Johannesburg. A review of the policy framework surrounding the cultural and tourism industries was conducted to ascertain the role and importance ascribed to the tourism and cultural industries in South African policy with particular emphasis on the city of Johannesburg’s policy environment. The international experience of using fashion in tourism and urban development strategies provided examples and insight into global strategies of linking fashion and tourism. Case studies of the Johannesburg Fashion District and SA Fashion Week revealed their emerging role in the tourism industry. The experience and views of designers and industry officials regarding the role of fashion in the tourism industry was determined through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The study concluded that there is definitely potential for the local fashion industry to make a significant contribution to tourism in the city of Johannesburg but this is dependent on the development of a clear fashion tourism policy framework, greater marketing and promotional efforts and the addressing of critical challenges in the fashion and cultural tourism sectors.