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"This time for Africa": South Africa's rise onto the global fashion stage
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"This time for Africa": South Africa's rise onto the global fashion stage
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Content
“THIS TIME FOR AFRICA”:
SOUTH AFRICA’S RISE ONTO THE GLOBAL FASHION STAGE
by
Zahra Alexandria Nealy
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
(STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS)
May 2011
Copyright 2011 Zahra Alexandria Nealy
DEDICATION
This thesis is dedicated to my parents, William J. Nealy and Ina E. George-Nealy.
Without your love, guidance and support, I would not be where I am today. You always
emphasized the importance of education and always told me to I could accomplish
anything I put my mind to. I wish both of you could see me now, but I know you are
looking down at me, guiding me where ever you are. I love you and miss you dearly.
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank the many people who helped me get to through this process.
I’d like to thank Mary Rollins and Curt Rogers for their endless support. They took me
into their home and made me a part of their family. Even though you’re not my parents,
my parents already knew you’d be my guardian angels. Also, I’d like to thank my 91-
year-old grandmother, Eunice Ventress Mitchell, for always giving me words of
encouragement and always reinforcing the importance of education. I’ll take you up on
the Ph.D. offer if Harrah’s is good to you.
I’d like to thank my thesis committee led by Jennifer Floto, Erna Smith and Joe
Saltzman. Thanks for always being honest and straightforward with me. Your expertise
and guidance really made me push myself. Erna, I’d like to thank you especially for
allowing me to travel to South Africa and truly experience a once-in-a-lifetime trip!
Last, but not least, I would like to thank Engrid Smith and Thulare Monareng.
Engrid, without you, I would have never met Thulare. Thulare, thank you for allowing
me to have the most rewarding internship experience ever. Not only did you put your
faith in me and my skills to help establish your brand, but you treated me with respect
and trust. I’m so happy to have you both as friends. Without either of you, this thesis
would be non-existent.
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii
LIST OF TABLES vi
LIST OF FIGURES vii
ABSTRACT viii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
Purpose Of This Thesis 4
CHAPTER 2: THE SOUTH AFRICAN FASHION INDUSTRY 6
A Brief Overview of South Africa 6
Economy 8
Overview of the South African Textile & Clothing Industries 10
Key Stakeholders 14
Public Relations in SA Fashion 26
CHAPTER 3: SOCIAL MEDIA IN SOUTH AFRICA 27
CHAPTER 4: POST FIFA WORLD CUP SOUTH AFRICA 29
CHAPTER 5: LITERATURE REVIEW 30
Social media and mobile technology 31
The image of the African fashion designer 35
CHAPTER 6: RESEARCH ANALYSIS 39
Statement of the Opportunity/Problem 39
Research Methodology 39
CHAPTER 7: SITUATION ANALYSIS 41
Strengths 42
Weaknesses 43
Opportunities 45
Threats 47
CHAPTER 8: RECOMMENDATIONS 50
CHAPTER 9: CONCLUSIONS 51
iv
GLOSSARY 53
BIBLIOGRAPHY 58
APPENDICES 64
APPENDIX A: Aicha Ayebobo Interview Transcript 64
APPENDIX B:Thulare Monareng Interview Transcript 68
APPENDIX C: Victoria L. Rovine Interview Transcript 80
APPENDIX D: Erica Sewell Interview Transcript 82
v
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: The Top Fashion Capitals of 2010 3
Table 2: SWOTS Analysis 41
vi
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: 1914 Map of Colonial Africa 6
Figure 2: Map of the Nine South African Provinces 7
Figure 3: Key Economic Sectors 9
Figure 4: The Apparel Value Chain 12
Figure 5: Fashion Pyramid 12
vii
ABSTRACT
The South African fashion industry is unique compared to its Western
counterparts. A sub-sector of the clothing, textile and footwear industry, it has vast
amounts of talent and potential. However, its infrastructure is weak and fragmented
mainly due to the lack of a leading national industry council. Ultimately the industry has
had to improvise its functionality and infrastructure. With five fashion weeks, South
Africa outnumbers similar Western offerings; however, with a fragmented infrastructure,
the industry has not been able to achieve the heightened success of those industries. With
that said, a unique opportunity presents itself to the industry – social media. South Africa
has been able to adapt social media to meet the country’s needs and with that, the South
African fashion industry can use it to generate awareness and promote it as a major
presence to the global fashion industry.
viii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Africa, an entire continent long overlooked as a source of
contemporary art, has suddenly burst onto the world’s
radar screen.
1
Africa is the birthplace of all humankind and home to some of the world’s oldest
civilizations. According to the United Nations Population Division, the estimated total
population of all 53 African countries was 1.03 billion in 2010. By 2015, it will be 1.5
billion and by 2050 it is projected to be 1.99 billion.
2
This means that Africa is the second
largest populated continent after Asia. However, Africa and its 53 countries have been
marred by centuries of imperialistic colonization, which continues to have long-lasting
effects, not only on the people, but also on how the global community perceives its many
countries.
Despite it being marginalized as “the dark continent,”
3
“African form and design
have stimulated the creativity of European fashion designers for centuries.”
4
As a result,
western fashion designers have capitalized on the inspirations they have taken from the
African countries. Moreover, the modern fashion industry has been dominated by
western countries for more than two centuries. France, the birthplace of the modern
1
1
Victoria L. Rovine, “South Africa From North America: Exporting Identities Through Art,” African Arts 37 (2004):
48.
2
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division Homepage. “World Population
Prospects: The 2008 Revision,” last modified March 11, 2009. http://esa.un.org/unpp
3
Coined by 19
th
century British explorer Henry M. Stanley in his 1878 book Through the Dark Continent
4
Kristyne Loughran, “The Idea of Africa in European High Fashion: Global Dialogues” Fashion Theory 13(2009):
243.
fashion industry, started its reign in the eighteenth-century
5
, with the evolution of tailors,
or couturiers.
6
Historically, the major fashion capitals, known as the “Classic Four,” have been
Paris, New York, London and Milan.
7
Now, that trend has shifted allowing new blood to
sashay across the catwalk. According to a 2010 poll released by the Austin, Texas-based
media analytics company, Global Language Monitor (GLM), Hong Kong ranked number
two on the list of the top 40 fashion capitals in the world, making it the first Asian
country ever to be ranked among the top four. New York ranks number one, while
London ranked number three and Paris dipped to last place at number four. Table 1 shows
the complete rankings.
8
With that said, only one African country made the list of 40
nominees – South Africa, with Cape Town ranked 23 and Johannesburg ranked 25.
9
2
5
Christopher Breward, Fashion (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003), 16.
6
Rebecca Arnold, Fashion: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), 12.
7
Georgina O. Callan, The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers (New York: Thames
&Hudson Inc., 2008),6.
8
This exclusive ranking is based upon GLM’s Predictive Quantities Index, a proprietary algorithm that tracks words
and phrases in print and electronic media, on the Internet and throughout the blogosphere. Numbers within parentheses
reflect the change in rank from 2009. NL stands for new listing. The list was expanded from 30 to 40 to reflect various
emerging and diverse players in the industry.
9
“Top Global Fashion Capitals 2010,” last modified August 12, 2010 http://www.languagemonitor.com/fashion/new-
york-regains-fashion-capital-crown-from-milan/.
Table 1: The Top Fashion Capitals of 2010
1. New York (+1)
2. Hong Kong (+5)
3. London (+2)
4. Paris (-1)
5. Los Angeles (+1)
6. Milano (-5)
7. Sydney (+2)
8. Miami (+5)
9. Barcelona (+5)
10. Madrid (+11)
11. Melbourne (+14)
12. Shanghai (+2)
13. Sao Paulo (-5)
14. Tokyo (-2)
15. Singapore (+5)
16. Las Vegas (-6)
17. Amsterdam (NL)
18. Berlin (+1)
19. Rio de Janeiro (-1)
20. Moscow (+2)
21. Dubai (-10)
22. Rome (-18)
23. Cape Town (NL)
24. Buenos Aires (0)
25. Johannesburg (NL)
26. Prague (+3)
27. Vienna (NL)
28. Mumbai (-12)
29. Mexico City (+1)
30. New Delhi (-13)
31. Santiago (-8)
32. Bali (NL)
33. Stockholm (-7)
34. Copenhagen (NL)
35. Bangkok (-8)
36. Warsaw (NL)
37. Chicago (NL)
38. Toronto (NL)
39. Krakow (-11)
40. (Tie) Dallas (NL)
40. (Tie) Atlanta (NL)
Nominated: Antwerpen, Caracas,
Frankfurt, Medellin and Seoul
3
Therefore, South Africa can be considered a fashion hub for the African continent.
With the success of the 2010 World Cup, the limelight has been shed upon South Africa,
along with the rest of the African continent, and exposed many burgeoning industries,
including fashion. This thesis examines the how contemporary globalization including
mobile technology, the Internet and social media combined with the success of the World
Cup can create more exposure of the South African fashion industry.
PURPOSE OF THIS THESIS
This thesis will:
• Provide an overview of the South African fashion industry.
• Identify the current perceptions surrounding African fashion and its role in the future
of the global fashion industry.
• Explore the image of the African fashion designer.
• Examine the increasing role of mobile technology, the internet and social media in
South Africa, specifically as it relates to fashion.
• Offer PR recommendations to South African fashion designers and PR practitioners
to help them become successful in launching their lines and strategically promoting
awareness and consideration of fashion industry events.
• Identify the current stigmas that are associated with Africa and African-made
products.
4
• Examine how social media can help the South African fashion industry can gain a
stronghold in the global market by attracting more investors and in return, help South
African fashion gain more exposure abroad.
5
CHAPTER 2: THE SOUTH AFRICAN FASHION INDUSTRY
A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF SOUTH AFRICA
A former Dutch and British colony (see Figure 1), South Africa is one of the
youngest democratic nations in the world having passed its constitution in 1994 after
ending the 46-year stronghold of apartheid.
The 17-year-old “Rainbow Nation” is home to approximately 49.9 million diverse
and multicultural citizens.
10
It also is a young country in that the median age is 24.7
6
10
“The World Factbook:South Africa,” last modified March 16, 2011, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-
world-factbook/geos/sf.html
Figure 1: Colonial Africa 1914.
Source: Michigan State University.
Retrieved February 4, 2011, from http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/students/
curriculum/m9/activity4.php
years and that approximately 31 percent of the population is under the age of 15.
11
The
country is primarily composed of 79.4 percent black Africans, 9.2 percent white, 8.8
percent colored (people of mixed heritage), and 2.6 percent Indian/Asian.
12
That
combined with 11 official languages truly speaks to the diversity the country harbors.
South Africa is composed of nine provinces: the Eastern Cape, the Free State,
Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape, North West and
the Western Cape. Gauteng has the largest population with11.19-million (22.4 percent)
followed by KwaZulu-Natal at 21.3 percent. Cape Town has 10.4 percent of the
population. Gauteng and the Western Cape house Johannesburg and Cape Town, the only
South African, let alone African, cities that made the top 40 list of fashion cities by the
Global Language Monitor.
7
11
“Almost 50-million South Africans,” last modified July 21, 2010, http://www.southafrica.info/about/people/
population-210710.htm
12
Ibid.
Figure 2: The Nine Provinces of South Africa
Source: South African Places CC
Retrieved February 4, 2011, from http://www.places.co.za/
ECONOMY
South Africa joined the World Trade Organization on January 1, 1995
13
, which
opened its markets to international trade.
14
According to the CIA World Factbook, the
South African economy is most noted for its supply of natural resources, as well as
defined financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors. However, the
most economic growth has been in the wholesale and retail trade, tourism and
communications sectors.
15
The country’s GDP by sector is three percent agriculture, 31.2
percent industry and 65.8 percent services. Roughly 17.32 million (approximately 34
percent) South Africans are economically active in the labor force. Of that 17.32 million,
nine percent belong in agriculture, 26 percent in industry and 65 percent in services.
Approximately 23.3 percent of the population is unemployed ranking South Africa
number 174 out of 201 on a country comparison of unemployment. The major industries
in South Africa include: mining (it is the world’s largest producer of platinum, gold and
chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel,
chemicals and fertilizer, foodstuffs and commercial ship repair. The country’s main
export and import partners are China, the U.S., Germany, Japan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the
8
13
“Understand the WTO: The Organization,” last modified July 23, 2008, http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/
whatis_e/tif_e/org6_e.htm
14
“Product Market Study: Textile and Clothing Industry in South Africa,” MATRADE, accessed March 29,
2011,www.pcob.co.za/.../Clothing%20and%20Textiles%20Industry%20in%20SA. Doc., 3.
15
“South Africa’s Economy: Key Sectors,” MediaClubSouthAfrica.com, accessed March 29, 2011
www.mediaclubsouthafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=37:economy_bg&id=111:sa-
economy-key-sectors.
UK and Switzerland.
16
The country’s GDP was $287 billion USD in 2009.
17
In 2010, the
country hosted the FIFA World Cup, the only truly international sports event, which drew
roughly 309,000 spectators and tourists and 26 billion television viewers cumulatively.
18
Its effects on the host nation will be discussed in Chapter 4: Post FIFA World Cup South
Africa. Figure 3 illustrates the main sectors in South Africa and the value each has added
between 1998 to 2008.
9
16
“The World Factbook:South Africa,” last modified March 16, 2011, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-
world-factbook/geos/sf.html.
17
“Background Note: South Africa,” last modified March 11, 2011, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2898.htm.
18
“26 Billion People Watching the World Cup: True?” last modified June 14, 2010, http://www.cbsnews.com/
8301-31751_162-20007587-10391697.html.FIFA has yet to release official reports total number of viewers and
attendees. There are many conflicting reports as well stating conflicting figures. 26 billion is the cumulative total of
viewers who watched all 64 matches.This figure has not been confirmed though.
Figure 3: Key South African Economic Sectors
Source: MediaClubSouthAfrica.com.
Retreived March 5, 2011, from http://www.mediaclubsouthafrica.com/
index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&catid=37:economy_bg&id=111:sa
OVERVIEW OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN TEXTILE & CLOTHING INDUSTRIES
To better understand the complexity and interconnection of the many industries
linked to the South African fashion industry, it is important to first examine the “elements
of a fashion industry,”
19
or, the textiles, footwear and clothing industries. Due to the
nature of this thesis, only the textile and clothing industries will be covered. The textile
industry is categorized into seven sectors: fiber production, spinning, weaving knitting,
non-wovens, carpet production and fabric coating.
20
It is composed of 350 mils that
produce 560 million square meters of fabric valued at R12 billion.
21
One hundred and
ninety units of apparel are made from fabric, which are valued at R11 billion
(approximately $1.5 billion USD).
22
The Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and
Eastern Cape provinces mainly produce men’s, ladies’ and children’s wear.
23
The two
industries combined accrue more than R34 billion (approximately $4.8 billion USD) in
sales in which most are generated from the domestic market.
24
Both industries employed
143,000 people in March 2005 with 97,544 in the clothing sector and 45,319 in textiles.
25
However, there is no official count of existing clothing and textile companies due to the
10
19
Tony Hines and Margaret Bruce, Fashion Marketing:Contemporary Issues ( Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001),
2.
20
“Product Market Study: Textile and Clothing Industry in South Africa,” MATRADE, accessed March 29,
2011,www.pcob.co.za/.../Clothing%20and%20Textiles%20Industry%20in%20SA. Doc., 4.
21
Ibid., 5.
22
Ibid., 5.
23
Ibid., 5.
24
Ibid., 7.
25
Ibid., 8.
“informal nature”
26
of the industry. More than $1 billion USD has been invested in
overhauling the textile, clothing and footwear industry since the country entered the
international trade market in 1995.
27
The overhaul was to make the industries more
competitive and viable.
The South African fashion industry is a sub-industry of the clothing and textile
industry, which it incorporates manufacturing, retail, media, education and recruitment
sectors ,which combined makes the “apparel value-chain”
28
defined as “the range of
activities involved in the design, production and marketing of a product.”
29
Figure 3
illustrates this concept. It is composed of five main parts: raw material supply, provision
of components, production networks, export channels and marketing networks.
30
The
fashion design industry is structured as a “fashion pyramid,” which includes three levels:
haute couture, ready-to-wear (mass produced), and lastly moderately priced commodity
products.
31
11
26
Ibid.,7.
27
Ibid., 9.
28
Renato Palmi, March 31, 2008, blog post, “Unpicking the South African Fashion Industry 1: Introduction,” iFashion
Blogs, March 31, 2008, http://www.ifashion.co.za/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=Unpicking-the-South-
African-Fashion-Industry-Part-1.html&Itemid=75
29
Gary Gereffi and Olga Memedovic “The Global Apparel Value Chain: What Prospects for Upgrading by Developing
Countries” United Nations Industrial Development Organization, 1. http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/media/documents/
pdf/Services_Modules/Apparel_Value_Chain.pdf
30
Ibid., 4.
31
Renato Palmi, Inside-Out: South African Fashion Designers’ Sewing Success. (Durban: University of KwaZulu-
Natal, 2007), 9.
12
Haute
Couture
Ready-to-Wear/Mass Produced
Lower-Priced Commodity Products
Figure 5: Fashion Pyramid
Source: Renato Palmi, Inside-Out: South African Fashion
Designers’ Sewing Success.
Retrieved: March 29, 2011.
Figure 4: The Apparel Value Chain.
Source: United Nations Industrial Development Organization.
Retrieved March 1, 2011, from http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/media/documents/pdf/
Services_Modules/Apparel_Value_Chain.pdf
The industry’s first fashion week was held in 1997 in Sandton Square in
Johannesburg,
32
which opened the door to the local and global apparel value-chain.
33
According to iFashion, a leading South African fashion industry website, “the industry is
the fifth largest employer in the country and generates tens of billions in annual revenue.
It is also the sector that has experienced the greatest number of job losses over the past
three years, due in part to a stronger rand and increased imports from China.”
34
An
updated 2007 report stated that both industries “contributed R27.2 billion to the GDP,
creating 200,000 direct jobs and a further 300,000 indirect jobs, with over 2,000 South
African companies involved.”
35
“Fashion tourism” is an emerging sector within industry,
which will be discussed in Chapter 4: Post FIFA World Cup South Africa.
Renato Palmi, a South African fashion industry consultant and director of the
ReDress Consultancy, one of South Africa's foremost agencies specializing in the fashion
industry, discussed in his three-part blog series “Unpicking the South African Fashion
Industry” that the global textile and clothing industry will reach $805 billion USD by
2015.
36
He also states that large South African retail chain stores make up 70 percent of
the apparel market. He identifies the main stakeholders in the fashion industry as
13
32
Gabisile Ndebele, “Does SA have too many fashion weeks?,” The New Age, February 18, 2011, accessed March 29,
2011,http://www.thenewage.co.za/Detail.aspx?news_id=10818&cat_id=1041.
33
Palmi, Inside-Out, 9.
34
“About Us,” iFashion, accessed March 29, 2011, http://www.ifashion.co.za/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=965.
35
Palmi, Inside-Out, 49.As stated by Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union General Secretary Ebrahim
Patel.
36
Palmi, blogpost, “Unpicking the South African Fashion Industry 1: Introduction.”
consumers, corporate sector, government, provincial fashion councils, fashion colleges,
large retail chain stores, private boutiques, designer-owned boutiques, fashion weeks,
fashion media and a representative council. It is also important to acknowledge
international investors, South African fashion designers, as well as international fashion
industries as key stakeholders.
KEY STAKEHOLDERS
Fashion Colleges
These organizations provide a platform for emerging designers to showcase their
work and gain visibility, as well as learn the business aspects of the industry.
• Design Academy of Fashion – Cape Town, Western Cape
• Bloemfontein Fashion Academy – Bloemfontein, Free State
• Cape Peninsular University of Technology – Belville, Western Cape
• Cape Town College of Fashion Design – Cape Town, Western Cape
• CRE Fashion Design School – Cape Town, Western Cape
• Damelin West Rand – Krugersdorp, Guateng
• Durban University of Fashion – Durban, Kwazulu-Natal
• Durban University of Technology – Durban, Kwazulu-Natal
• Elizabeth Galloway Academy of Fashion Design – Stellenbosch, Western
Cape
• Future Design Institute of South Africa (Fedisa) – Cape Town, Western
Cape
14
• Mzansi Designers Institute – Johannesburg, Guateng
Provincial fashion councils
These organizations provide a platform for emerging and established designers to
show case their work, gain visibility, as well as learn the business aspects of the
industry.
• Cape Town Fashion Council (CTFC) was the first fashion industry body
established in the Western Cape and currently represents more than 350 members.
Formally registered in November 2006 to create representation and development
of the Western Cape fashion sector, CTFC’s vision is “for the Western Cape
fashion design to be nationally and globally recognized and desired for its
uniqueness and excellence.”
37
The CTFC’s strategic goals are to “provide
initiatives that develop and support the fashion industry in the Western Cape as
well as ensuring that local fashion designers access, maintain and grow their
market share.”
38
The council also provides workshops and programs to foster
business skills of local designers including “Producing a Sellable Line
Programme” workshop series, “Export Development Programme” workshop
series and “Fashion for Business Programme” workshop series. Members of the
CTFC gain access to skills development and mentorship, business and market
intelligence, promotion via the CTFC newsletter, website, industry directory; and
representation of her/his fashion brands by liaising with the SA government and
15
37
“About CTFC,” Cape Town Fashion Council, accessed March 29, 2011, http://ctfc.co.za/?page_id=70.
38
Ibid.
advocating for the creation of the Fashion Council for South Africa.
39
CTFC
actively engages in social media maintains a website along with a blog (http://
capetownfashioncouncil.blogspot.com/), Twitter page (@CPTFashCoun) with 346
followers, a Facebook page with 407 likes and a YouTube channel with only one
video uploaded.
40
• African Fashion International (AFI) plays an integral role in the promotion of
African fashion design. AFI founded, owns and operates the African continent’s
most renowned fashion weeks:
• Joburg Fashion Week – Held in Johannesburg, this four-day
event features designers’ autumn and winter collections in
February.
• Africa Fashion Week
• Cape Town Fashion Week – Held in Cape Town, this weeklong
event features spring and summer collections in August.
41
Besides its website, AFI has an official Facebook page with 4,103 likes
42
and a
Twitter page (@AFI_sa) with 1,061 followers.
43
16
39
Ibid.
40
“Cape Town Fashion Council’s Channel,last modified April 22, 2010, http://www.youtube.com/user/
CTFashionCouncil?features=mhum.
41
Due to the geographic location of South Africa in the southern hemisphere, all the seasons are opposite to those in the
northern hemisphere.
42
”African Fashion International,” accessed March 29, 2011, https://www.facebook.com/africanfashioninternational?
sk=info.
43
“AFI_SA,” accessed March 29, 2011, http://twitter.com/#!/afi_sa.
• Design Indaba, established in 1995, is a Cape Town-based organization that
conducts an annual expo and conference that hosts more than 30 speakers in a
multi-faceted experience that incorporate events, media, education, training and
business development across all the arts. It also publishes a magazine and
facilitates workshops and seminars that focus on the creative industries (including
fashion) within South Africa and internationally. Its Twitter account
(@designindaba) has 4,875 followers while its Facebook group has 2,992
members.
44
Fashion Media
According to a May 2010 Cision report, the top five South African fashion blogs
include: iFashion, FashionJazz, Style Guide Cape Town, Fake Satorialist and Miss
Molly.
45
With that said, iFashion and the ReDress Consultancy, a blog operated by
Renato Palmi, provide the most comprehensive online data about the South African
fashion industry and its many stakeholders including information on policies to forums
where people can interact with each other. Print publications include ARISE Magazine
and African Vibes Magazine, which focus on accomplishments in the African fashion
industry, as well as music, culture and politics. Other print publications include
international editions of Cosmopolitan and Elle magazines.
46
“African Couture” was
17
44
As of March 14, 2011. It is important to remember that the same individual may be counted multiple times in the
numbers given above since they may follow these organizations across multiple social media platforms.
45
“Top 10 South African Fashion Blogs,” last modified May 8, 2010, http://za.cision.com/Resources/Social-Media-
Index/Top-South-African-Social-Media/Top-10-South-African-Fashion-Blogs/ .
46
A media kit was not available for the international versions of Elle and Cosmopolitan; therefore audience and
circulation information was not available.
South Africa’s first fashion magazine television show that aired on SABC 3 in 2008. The
26-episode season consisted of 30-minute weekly shows that gave viewers an inside look
at the African and global industry, as well as news on upcoming trends and up-and-
coming designers.
47
Manufacturing
Even though the apparel manufacturing sector is small, it still aligns itself to
the changing needs of industry. $900 million USD have been invested in the apparel
manufacturing sector since 1994 to make it more competitive internationally.
48
Monviso
is one of South Africa's largest and fastest-growing clothing manufacturers, employing
over 1500 employees. It offers a diverse product range from knitwear and knits apparel
and to the brands division.
Suppliers
Suppliers for the fashion industry are mostly involved with the production of
fashion weeks and other events. They include: models, modeling agencies, hair and
makeup stylists, event coordinators, venue owners and management, production
companies and DJs.
49
18
47
“African Couture,” Facebook, accessed March 29, 2011, https://www.facebook.com/group.php?
gid=26787686452&v=info. No information was found stating whether the show was still in production or not.
48
”Manufacturing in South Africa: Textiles, clothing and footwear industry,” SouthAfrica.info, accessed March 29,
2011. http://www.southafrica.info/business/economy/sectors/manufacturing.htm#textiles
49
Palmi, Inside-Out, 9.
Retailers
Retailers in textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods reported R27,432,000
(approximately $3.8 million USD) from September 2010 to November 2010.
50
Major
retail chains include:
• Woolworths (aka Woolies) was founded in 1931 by Max Sonnenberg in
Cape Town. It operates 69 franchise stores nationwide and offers food,
apparel and beauty products.
51
This is not to be confused with the
American retail store of the same name.
• Truworths is a part of Truworths International, an investment holding
company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). It operates
more than 250 retail stores that feature fashion apparel and accessories.
52
• Edgars, owned by Edcon, is a national department store serving middle
and upper income families of southern Africa that sells clothing, footwear,
textiles, accessories and cosmetics with more than 150 locations, and over
5,000 employees.
53
• Foschini, a subsidiary of The Foschini Group, is a leading women’s wear
department store offering ladies' wear, footwear, accessories, fine jeweler,
19
50
“Retail trade sales (Preliminary),” last modified January 19, 2011, http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P62421/
P62421November2010.pdf., 3. Note that retailers in jewelry are separate from that category.
51
“Our Company,” Woolworths, accessed March 29, 2011, http://www.woolworths.co.za/caissa.asp?
Page=ITB4_RHContext&Post=CO-History.
52
“About Us,” Truworths, accessed March 29, 2011, http://www.truworths.co.za/about-us.
53
“About Edgars,” Edgars, accessed March 2011, http://www.edgars.co.za/Edgars/About_Edgars/about_us.htm?
MenuItem=About_Edgars.
cosmetics and fragrances, as well as kids clothing. It is the second largest
departmental retailer of cosmetics in South Africa, representing the major
international brands including Clarins, Clinique, Revlon, Elizabeth Arden,
Yardley and L’Oreal. According to its fact sheet, 70 percent of products
are manufactured locally and supports the fashion industry with the
Annual Fashion design competition. As of March 31, 2009 there were 217
stores throughout South Africa positioned in central business districts with
4,133 employees.
54
• Mr. Price, a subsidiary of the Mr. Price Group Limited, is “about
affordable fashion for everyone.” The Mr. Price Group operates 989 stores
in Southern Africa consisting of four retail chains focusing on clothing,
footwear, accessories and homeware.
55
All of these retail chains, except Foschini, have some form of social media engagement,
particularly through Twitter.
Private Boutiques
These play an important role in which fashion designers can sell their collections
in their own retail setting. For instance, Fashion Collage Deli owned by Thulare
Monareng is a concept co-op store located on popular Long Street in Cape Town that
features her and two other designers’ collections. It serves as an “interesting retail
20
54
“Foschini,” last modified January 28, 2011, http://www.tfg.co.za/retail/foschini/foschini.asp.
55
“Corporate Profile,” Mr. Price Group Limited, accessed March 29, 2011, http://www.mrpricegroup.com/
corporate_info.asp.
experience for shoppers” and a “space for innovative ideas and concepts.”
56
Fashion
Collage Deli has 281 group members on Facebook.
57
Some of the private boutiques
engage in social media while some do not.
Consumers
Social media plays an important role in reaching consumers to gain awareness and
to ultimately influence them to buy a product. Consumers who are active social media
users can access more information, which can then influence his or her purchasing
behaviors. Consumers are key because they are the ones who will make or break a brand.
Since the general population of South Africa is relatively young, it can be deduced that
that population has most of the purchasing power in the country.
Commercial Retail Centers
South Africa has 23 major shopping malls.
58
Many of the centers combine the
retail experience with tourist attractions and residential spaces.
• Melrose Arch (http://www.melrosearch.co.za/#/intro) in Johannesburg has a
number of fashion boutiques and major fashion retail chains.
• Century City(http://www.canalwalk.co.za/ ) located in Milnerton, minutes outside
of Cape Town, features the Canal Walk Shopping Centre which features extensive
21
56
Lisa Nevitt, “Fashion Collage Deli: Make mine an ice-cold dress and a t-shirt sandwich,” Cape Town Magazine,
accessed March 29. 2011, http://ww.capetownmagazine.com/Shopping/Fashion-Collage-Deli/176_22_17957
57
Ibid.
58
“South Africa: Shopper’s Paradise,” SouthAfrica.info, accessed March 29, 2011, http://www.southafrica.info/travel/
cities/shopping.htm.
boutiques and major retail chains attracting more than 20 million visitors every
year.
59
Its tagline is “Shop the world.”
• The V& A Waterfront (http://www.waterfront.co.za) located in Cape Town’s
harbor features 450 retail stores, tourist attractions as well as residential areas.
• Gateway Shopping Centre (http://www.gatewayworld.co.za/ ) in Durban offers
150,000 square meters, or 37 acres, of shopping grounds.
60
Its tagline is
“Gateway. Theatre of Shopping.”
Fashion Designers
“Fashion design, and the designers...are fundamental to the sustainability of South
Africa’s clothing and textile industries.”
61
Just as diverse as the ethnic composition of the
country, South African designers are far from being “traditional” in their designs. Some
of South Africa’s most prominent fashion designers include:
• Abigail Keats
Abigail is a 2007 graduate of London International School of Fashion SA. She
opened her boutique in Sandton (in Johannesburg) in 2010. Her label of the same name
“caters to women who look to infuse style, glamour and sophistication into their
wardrobes and lifestyle.” All of her garments are manufactured in South Africa “to aid in
the support and growth” of the country’s fashion industry; thus showing a form of social
22
59
“Canal Walk Shopping Centre,” Century City, accessed March 29, 2011, http://www.centurycity.co.za/shop.php.
60
“South Africa: shopper’s paradise,” SouthAfrica.info, accessed March 29, 2011, http://www.southafrica.info/travel/
cities/shopping.htm#fashion
61
Palmi, Inside-Out, 48.
responsibility. Her website, http://www.abigailkeats.com/, features her current
collections, as well as news, contact information and a Twitter badge @AbigailKeats. She
has 790 followers as of March 14, 2011.
62
• Craig Native
Craig Native is fashion designer from Cape Town with a fashion label of the same
name established in 2000. The label’s philosophy is:
The diverse mix of South African soil and cultures. The brand is
marketed to the average man on the street who often goes unseen. Social,
political, and humanitarian messages are broadcasted through the brand,
but with fun, quirky twists.
63
His website, http://www.craignative.com/ features collections featured in past
fashion weeks, as well as a link to his Facebook group, which has 721 members as of
March 14, 2011.
64
• Gavin Rajah
Gavin founded his label of the same name in 1998. The brand’s philosophy is
“Couture, refined craftsmanship, sophisticated glamour and undisputed femininity..…”
He produces couture, prêt-à-porter, accessories, swimwear, shoes and lifestyle interiors.
His website, http://www.gavinrajah.com/, features his past, current and work in progress
collections along with video, e-commerce, a pressroom, a newsletter subscription option
as well as contact information. In addition, his Facebook fan page has 6,043 likes while
23
62
“Abigail Keats,” Twitter, accessed March 29, 2011, http://twitter.com/#!/AbigailKeats/followers.
63
“Native Clothing by Craig Native,” Facebook, accessed March 29, 2011, https://www.facebook.com/group.php?
gid=13421731426&v=info.
64
Ibid.
his Twitter account (@GA VINRAJAH) has 871 followers. He is also a UNICEF
Goodwill Ambassador. His blog Fashionista (http://rajahfashionista.blogspot.com/)
features more fashion industry related posts, as well as blogrolls for other industry blogs.
• Stiaan Louw
Stiaan Louw Menswear was awarded “Best Menswear Designer Africa” at the
2010 Africa Fashion Awards. Established in 2008, Stiaan is based in Cape Town and has
a Twitter account (@stiaanlouw) with 528 followers along with a Facebook fan page with
1,227 likes. His blog, http://stiaanlouw.blogspot.com/, features his work from previous
fashion weeks.
• Tart
Established in 2001 as a t-shirt brand by Cape Town-based designer Cari
Stephenson, Tart is “made for real women who lead active, enquiring lives and are
looking for simple, fuss free pieces to slip on and go.” Tart does not have an official
website nor any social media accounts.
• Thulare Monareng
Born in Soweto, Johannesburg, Thulare was educated in New Orleans, New York
and Belgium. She was awarded “The Most Innovative Designer” Award at the 2002 Cape
Town Fashion Festival. She established her first retail boutique called Fashion Collage
Deli in March 2011 in Cape Town. Her collection was featured in the 2010 Cape Town
24
Fashion Week and was retailed in Woolworths in its SA Designers collection.
65
Her
store’s Facebook group has 261 members.
• Stoned Cherrie
Established in 2000 in Johannesburg, Stoned Cherrie has won numerous
accolades. Its flagship boutique is located in Rosebank Mall in Johannesburg. It strives
“to become a premier African brand pioneering a Cultural Revolution in Africa.”
66
Besides its website, http://www.stonedcherrie.co.za/, it has a Facebook fan page with 582
likes.
67
All in all, most of these designers have their brand’s website and actively engage
in social media by having various accounts such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
68
Local/International Investors
Local and international investors can help with the fiduciary and developmental
aspects of the fashion industry, particularly with sponsoring fashion weeks. For example,
Sanlam, a leading South African financial services group, agreed to sponsor the first SA
Fashion Week in 1997.
25
65
“Woolworths Adds Guest Designer Rangers to its SA Designers collection,” Woolworths
Holdings Limited, accessed March 31, 2011, http://www.woolworthsholdings.co.za/media/news/news_display.asp?
Id2=384.
66
“Stoned Cherrie,” Facebook, accessed March 29, 2011, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stoned-Cherrie/
104379826283629?sk=info.
67
Ibid.
68
Note: It is important to remember that the same individuals may be counted multiple times in the numbers mentioned
as they may follow these organizations across multiple social media platforms.
PUBLIC RELATIONS IN SA FASHION
There is little to no information published on the public relations industry in
South Africa, let alone the South African fashion industry. The only public relations
industry body is the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa, which also operates in
Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland.
69
According to Erna Smith, professor at the
USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, the public relations industry
in South Africa is decades behind the rest of the world. Practices such as pay-for-print
have made it difficult for legitimate PR practitioners to set up shop and develop
relationships with media outlets. This lack of PR outreach is compounded by the sheer
number of fashion events that take place in a given year, making it virtually impossible
for budding designers to vie for front page coverage. This trend is fueling the use of
social media within the South African fashion industry: absent coverage in traditional
media, designers and retailers are depending upon bloggers and social media outlets such
as Twitter and Facebook to gain widespread exposure.
26
69
“What is PRISA?,” PRISA, accessed March 29, 2011, http://www.prisa.co.za/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=8.
CHAPTER 3: SOCIAL MEDIA IN SOUTH AFRICA
Social media plays a crucial role in South Africa. Due to high costs of internet
bandwidth and personal computers, South Africans access and utilize the internet and
social networking sites differently, primarily via mobile technology. With that said,
statistics on social media use is sporadically updated so this thesis will focus on
information reported within the last five years, as well as information from Alexa, a web
analytics site.
According to a case study called “Social Media in South Africa” published by
RCubed
Integrated Marketing Consultants, in March 2007 there were 11,700 South
Africans on Facebook compared to 2,600,000 in March 2010.
70
The same report stated
that 82 percent of South Africans with internet are on Facebook. Also, designers were
included as one of the most prominent user groups on Twitter along with managers,
journalists, students, photographers, owners, artists, engineers, entrepreneurs and
writers.
71
According to Alexa, the top 10 most visited websites in South Africa are
Google.co.za, Facebook, Google.com, YouTube, Yahoo!, Wikipedia, Twitter, Gumtree,
Blogger.com and News24, respectively
72
To widen the scope, the top 10 most visited
global websites are: Google, Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo!, Windows Live, Blogger.com,
27
70
“Social Media In South Africa: A Case Study,” RCubed Integrated Marketing Consultants, accessed March 29, 2011,
http://www.rcubed.co.za/article/social-media-in-south-africa-a-case-study/., 1-2.
71
Ibid.,10.
72
“Top Sites in South Africa:The top 100 sites in South Africa,” Alexa, accessed March 15, 2011,
http://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/ZA.
Baidu.com, Wikipedia, Twitter and QQ.com, respectively.
73
This confirms that the major
social media platforms have penetrated the South African market. The local version of
YouTube, www.youtube.co.za, was introduced in 2010 joining other local video sharing
sites Zoopy.com (owned by V odacom) and MyVideo.
74
According to Cision, the top five fashion blogs in South Africa are iFashion
(www.ifashion.co.za), FashionJazz (http://www.fashionjazz.co.za/), Style Guide Cape
Town (http://styleguidecapetown.blogspot.com/), Fake Satorialist(http://
www.fakesartorialist.com/) and Miss Molly(http://missmollyfashions.blogspot.com/).
75
Therefore, social media has penetrated the South African market and continues to
grow as internet penetration and access to these platforms grow.
28
73
“Top Sites: The top 500 sites on the web,” Alexa, accessed March 15, 2011, http://www.alexa.com/topsites/global.
74
“YouTube South Africa Launches,” last modified May 17, 2010, http://memeburn.com/2010/05/youtube-south-
africa-launches/.
75
“Top 10 South African Fashion Blogs.”
CHAPTER 4: POST FIFA WORLD CUP SOUTH AFRICA
The long-term effects of the 2010 FIFA World Cup may not be visible for a while,
but its short-term effects are already evident. The quad-annual event was the largest event
ever to be held on the African continent.
76
According to Finance Minister Pravin
Gordhan, the World Cup was estimated to contribute 0.5 percent, or R35 billion ($5
billion USD) to the nation’s GDP.
77
The South African Department of Tourism reported
that 95 percent of the 309,000 tourists would come back to visit South Africa.
78
In
addition, there was a nine percent increase in awareness of the country worldwide as a
tourist destination. Business tourism also has had a positive boost since the World Cup.
Tourism as a whole “contributed an estimated 7.7 percent to South Africa’s GDP in
2010.”
79
Equally important, South African Tourism and African Fashion International
leveraged the World Cup exposure and created a sub-industry, called “fashion tourism,”
in a joint effort to “showcase its world-class qualities,” promote local designers and
attract “well-heeled international fashionistas.”
80
The concept was launched at Joburg
Fashion Week in February 2011.
29
76
“Background Note: South Africa.”
77
Ibid.
78
“World Cup ‘worth every cent’: survey,” last modified December 7, 2010, http://www.southafrica.info/2010/
survey-071210.htm .
79
“SA business tourism ‘on the up’,” last modified February 23, 2011, http://www.southafrica.info/news/business/
223514.htm.
80
“Fashion to the Fore,” last modified January 20, 2011, http://www.southafrica.net/sat/content/en/us/news-detail?
oid=343970&sn=Detail&pid=1&Fashion-to-the-Fore.
CHAPTER 5: LITERATURE REVIEW
Based on news media coverage, government publications, journal articles,
relevant blogs and other available media, there are many factors that are affecting the
African fashion industry; however, due to the nature of this topic the information is very
limited. Two major themes emerged from those publications. First, social media and
mobile technology are two major proponents that can propel the South African fashion
industry into the limelight. From research conducted, the target audiences who have
already established a social media presence are fashion designers, retail chains,
commercial shopping centers and provincial fashion councils. With platforms such as
MXit, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, the fashion industry should leverage that
exposure and use it strategically to gain awareness on a larger international scale. Second,
in conducting primary research, the theme of the image of African fashion and the
African fashion designer became prominent. Due to centuries of style appropriation by
non-African designers, the common stereotype for African design is deemed
“traditional.” The unique opportunity social media presents can afford the South African
fashion industry to dismantle those perpetuating stereotypes by having their collective
voice heard. The subsequent paragraphs will discuss articles that examined the two
themes.
30
SOCIAL MEDIA AND MOBILE TECHNOLOGY
Social media can be an excellent opportunity for the South African industry to
gain a structure that is fluid, yet stable enough to change as fast as trends do. Since the
industry lacks a governing council and a space where all its information can exist, social
media can be the perfect platform for that. According to African Renewal Magazine, a
subsidiary program of the Africa Section of the United Nations Department of Public
Information, Africans have “rapidly joined the global conversation” via mobile phones
with more than 400 million subscribers.
81
The article suggested that “Africans are
leading what may be the next global trend: a major shirt to mobile internet use, with
social media as its main drivers.” Why such a huge shift to mobile internet use? Costs
and access. The African continent has the lowest internet penetration rate in that region
of the world.
82
Telkom, originally a South African telephone company, is Africa’s largest
integrated communications company providing voice, data, broadband and internet
services to company and residential consumers.
83
The company largely benefitted from
the South African Electronic Communications Act of 2006 which allowed for
convergence of the broadcasting, the broadcasting signal distribution and
telecommunications sectors in the country.
84
This paved the way for the company to
31
81
Andre-Michel Essoungou, “ A social media boom begins in Africa,” African Renewal Magazine, December 2010,
accessed March 29, 2011, http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol24no4/social-media-boom.html.
82
Ibid.
83
“Company Profile,” Telkom, accessed March 29, 2011, http://www.telkom.co.za/about_us/company_profile.html.
84
“Electronic Communications Act, 2006,” last modified 2008, http://www.ictregulationtoolkit.org/en/Publication.
3558.html.,2.
acquire many internet service and telecommunication providers throughout the continent
including the 2007 acquisition of Africa Online, the largest Pan-African ISP provider in
sub-Saharan Africa.
85
Other South African mobile phone competitors include V odacom,
Cell C and MTN.
86
According to the CIA World Factbook, there were more than 46
million mobile phones in the country in 2009 meaning that approximately 93 percent of
the population had access to a mobile phone compared to the 4.32 million main lines in
use.
87
Therefore, mobile phone technology is a critical factor in the way South Africans
communicate and disseminate information; thus it should not be overlooked by the South
African fashion industry. As the article suggests, adoptions in new technology can cause
major shifts for an industry since “...the technology culture there has followed a different
path than the West.”
88
If strategically used, the South African fashion industry would
benefit equally.
MXit, short for “message exchange it,” is a South African-based mobile social
media platform available for download for free. Launched in 2005 by Herman Heunis
and based in Stellenbosch,Western Cape, the program offers free instant messenger
services, the ability to send multimedia from one user to another, as well as download
music and ringtones, watch streaming video and get news and weather updates all in one
32
85
“Company Profile.”
86
“Regulatory and Competitive Landscape,” Telkom, accessed March 29, 2011, https://secure1.telkom.co.za/ir/
sustainability/industry-overview/regulatory-and-competitive-landscape.jsp.
87
“The World Factbook: South Africa.”
88
Greg Ferenstein, “How Mobile Technology is a Game Changer for Developing Africa,” Mashable, July 19, 2010,
accessed March 29, 2011, http://mashable.com/2010/07/19/mobile-africa/.
service at the “fraction of the cost of sending a standard SMS.”
89
It has more than 20
million users, mostly teens, and has the similar market penetration like the pre-Facebook
era. Heunis, an information communication technology consultant, believes in “disruptive
technology” or “using innovative approaches to build new mobile service models that go
against the grain.”
90
According to a 2009 Business Week article, Heunis sees MXit as a
vehicle for change-a social network with a social conscience...”
91
Even though major
social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube dominate South African
web traffic, fashion designers and retailers should not overlook the importance of local
social networking sites such as MXit. Using social media to change the perceptions of the
industry can be an invaluable asset for years to come.
According to the article “How the Web Is Changing Fashion Marketing in 2010”
many acclaimed high fashion designers and brands such as Jimmy Choo, Marc Jacobs
and Louis Vuitton engaged (many for the first time) in social media in 2010 to “market
and engage with consumers.”
92
The three major trends were that brands engaged in
location-based social networking such as Foursquare and Gowalla; brands have become
their own content creators allowing consumers to access behind-the-scenes content; and
brands have learned to listen to consumers by actively engaging in conversations with
33
89
Sarah Lacey, “MXit: The South African Mobile Company You Should Know,” Techcrunch, May 21, 2010, accessed
March 29, 2011, http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/21/mxit-the-south-african-mobile-company-you-should-know/.
90
“Mobile Social Networks with Herman Heunis of MXit,” MobileBeyond, accessed March 29. 2011, http://
mobilebeyond.net/mobile-communications-and-communities-in-south-africa-mxits-herman-heunis/#axzz1FW92kTK6
91
Shalini Ramachandran, “MXit Mixes Mobile Networks with Social Conscience,” Businessweek, August 2009,
accessed March 29, 2011,http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2009/tc20090820_669558.htm.
92
Lauren Indvik, “How the Web Is Changing Fashion Marketing in 2010,” Mashable, October 5, 2010, accessed March
29, 2011, http://mashable.com/2010/10/05/fashion-social-media-2010/.
them. The importance of this article is that social media can build relationships between a
brand and its consumer by creating a trustworthy, valuable and authentic experience to
“inspire customer loyalty and satisfaction.” Ultimately, this allows the brand to
understand its target market better so it can market accordingly and have a better return
on investment. Therefore, South African designers and brands must understand this
concept especially because of social media growth in the country. This is a crucial way
for designers to listen, engage and build a loyal following and is also more cost efficient.
According to a July 2008 press release from Nielsen Online, South Africa’s most
engaging online sectors were employment, personals/dating, real estate, blogs,
automotive, general classifieds, education, mobile, email, messaging/chat and healthcare.
The employment and personals/dating sectors had the highest duration sessions of 12
minutes 47 seconds and nine minutes 36 seconds, respectively while blogging clocked in
eight minutes 22 seconds per session. Furthermore, the most engaging South African
websites by average time per session were Ananzi Dating, MWEB DatingBuzz, Career
Junction, Cosmpolitan, Sunday Times Meet & Mingle, SHAPEmag, Ananzi Mail, IOL
Babynet, Auto Trader and Hotmail. It is important to note that Cosmopolitan was the only
fashion-related website on the list only receiving 60,000 unique browsers with an average
session lasting 13 minutes 49 seconds. The release stated that “dating sites...might be
relatively small but they do have an extremely engaged consumer base.”
93
Given the
nature of dating sites, that is a sound statement. In addition, dating sites “provide the
34
93
“South Africa’s Most Engaging Sectors and Websites,” last modified July 11, 2008, http://www.nielsen-online.com/
pr/pr_080711_ZA.pdf.
opportunity to provide more ongoing, engaging or niche targeting campaigns.”
Advertising may be the reason Cosmopolitan made the list since it is a well-known
globally circulated publication, but it shows that other South African fashion media
outlets could have utilized online advertising to draw in more viewers. However, the
prohibitive costs of online advertising may have denied them that opportunity.
94
THE IMAGE OF THE AFRICAN FASHION DESIGNER
The perception of African design and designers has greatly influenced the image
of Africa as perceived by the outside world. Also, stereotypes of African fashion have
influenced the image of African design and designers due to the appropriation of African
aesthetics by non-African designers. As a result, it has disempowered the African
designer to be viewed as very “traditional” in her or his designs associated with "ethnic"
attire.
95
In the article “The Idea of Africa in European High Fashion: Global Dialogues”
from Fashion Theory, Loughran discusses the “interrelationship between African and
European fashion”
96
as a result of globalization. Since fashion is constantly changing, the
author suggested that “the mechanism of fashion pushes fashion designers to turn their
gaze to all sources and to reinterpret it for use in their own culture.”
97
The author’s goal
was to show how “African aesthetic expressions” are adaptable to new markets. With that
35
94
Please note that Nielsen Online has yet to release any information for 2010.
95
Victoria Rovine (Associate Professor) Email interview with author. February 14, 2011.
96
Loughran, “The Idea of Africa,” 244.
97
Ibid., 259.
said, Loughran identified four factors that contextualized the appropriation of African
aesthetics by non-African designers. They included: discoveries of exotic places, artistic
movements, scientific discoveries and sociopolitical events.
98
Moreover, the author states
that 1997 was the “Year of Africa” supported by high impressions in mainstream
magazines such as Fashion Almanac, Marie Claire France, Vogue Paris, Vogue Italy,
Vogue UK with designs inspired by Dior, Hermès, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano
and Jean Paul Gaultier.
99
Another theme that stood out was the apparent colonial
references to the “exotic” that inspired the creation of African collections by the non-
African designers and that “appropriation is a phenomenon that, in essence, cannot be
stopped.”
100
However, the article did point out that Nigerien fashion designer Seidnaly
Sidahmed Alphadi “renegotiates African traditions to create new identities for a global
audience”
101
by “using a Western approach and marketing techniques.”
102
With that
vision, Alphadi created the Festival International de la Mode Africaine (FIMA) in 1998
“to develop a positive image of African fashion.”
103
Alphadi created FIMA to foster and
build the necessary business and entrepreneurial skills, as well as infrastructure, needed
36
98
Ibid., 245.
99
Ibid., 249.
100
Ibid., 253.
101
Ibid., 258.
102
Ibid., 259.
103
Ibid., 259.
“to give visibility and credibility to African designers.”
104
Since its inception in 1998,
FIMA has had attracted international retail buyers from major department stores such as
Macy’s and Bloomingdales, as well as high fashion designers such as Yves Saint Laurent,
Miyake, Jean Paul Gaultier and Kenzo ultimately because of his “innate understanding of
a ‘global fashion system.’”
105
Equally important, he understood the importance and
power of the internet to gain exposure and “to be in direct contact with a global public,
with each other, and even with prospective clients.”
106
Therefore, understanding the
dominant business practices of fashion combined with using the internet to join global
and local discourses can help change the image of African designers and fashion.
Similarly in “Colonialism’s Clothing: Africa, France, and the Deployment of
Fashion” by Victoria L. Rovine, the image of “traditional” African aesthetics were
exploited at colonial expositions held in France’s African colonies during the early
twentieth century. European and African clothing styles were used “as measures of
cultural advancement in an evolutionary progression from ‘primitive’ to ‘civilized’
status.”
107
The colonial expositions, “clearly linked to colonial enterprise,”
108
were live
dioramas that were reflective of the African people and their cultures, allowing non-
African designers to appropriate the presented imagery and transform it into
37
104
Ibid., 259.
105
Ibid., 261.
106
Ibid., 261.
107
Victoria L. Rovine, “Colonialism’s Clothing: Africa, France, and the Deployment of Fashion,” Fashion Theory 13
(2009): 50.
108
Rovine, “Colonialism’s Clothing,” 52.
“reproductive” or “mimetic”
109
French designs. Therefore, the French and other European
designers “exoticized” the image of Africa and capitalized on it by using tourist arts
markets and fashion photography to spread it to the rest of the world.
110
Now with the
advent of social media and internet in African countries, African designers can change
those exploited images used as strategy of colonial enterprise and give their firsthand
accounts of African design in an African context.
In short, the image of African design and designers were deemed “traditional” by
feats of colonial enterprise. European designers took inspiration from “traditional”
African aesthetics and, in turn, transformed them into romanticized designs that became a
part of global popular culture. European designers knowingly, or not, disempowered
African designers. With that said, social media presents the unique opportunity for
African designers to join the global fashion discourse and present their own fashion
designs straight from ground zero.
38
109
Ibid., 56. Rovine refers to “reproductive” as adapting elements of African dress to Western design while “mimetic”
is when African imagery is depicted through clothing.
110
Ibid., 56.
CHAPTER 6: RESEARCH ANALYSIS
STATEMENT OF THE OPPORTUNITY/PROBLEM
The burgeoning African fashion industry has gained momentum in the past years.
With the success of 2010 World Cup, the South African fashion industry has been
propelled onto the global fashion stage. This ultimately can have a positive impact in
making South Africa a major player in the global fashion world. However, the
infrastructure and economic resources needed for the fashion industry are not up to par as
they are in western countries. With that said the country’s boom in mobile technology,
social media combined with higher internet penetration can counter those problems and
create the visibility needed to support the viability of the industry.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This research will be used to identify the current perceptions of African fashion in
a fashion world dominated by western countries. Strategic public relations
recommendations will be based on the information from primary and secondary research,
which will give South African fashion designers and possibly African fashion public
relations agencies the vital information needed in order to transcend the historically
negative perception of Africa and it countries and become a major contender in the global
fashion industry.
Primary Research
Four people whose background, knowledge and professional work experience are
relevant to this thesis topic were interviewed.
39
• Ayebobo-Taylor, Aicha
Aicha is a fashion management student studying at Mod’Art International in Paris,
France. Her background in fashion management will give a unique perspective to my
research as she combines the creative aspect of fashion with the management aspects that
make fashion such a lucrative industry.
• Monareng, Thulare
Thulare is a native South African fashion designer and entrepreneur. She has studied in
the United States as well as Belgium so she has a global perspective when it comes to the
fashion industry. One of her goals was to make an impact on the current fashion industry.
• Rovine, Victoria
Victoria is Associate Professor at the School of Art and Art History and Center for
African Studies at the University of Florida, Gainesville. Victoria specializes in African
art, textiles, dress practices, and fashion design; contemporary African arts; urban African
material culture; Africanisms in western material culture; museums and the interpretation
of non-western arts. She has published several articles in Fashion Theory.
• Sewell, Erica
Erica is the former Program Manager of the Cape Town Fashion Council. She is the
Creative Director for Escape Artist, a global fashion, art, education and talent
consultancy. Erica has an extensive background in program management and fashion
design.
40
CHAPTER 7: SITUATION ANALYSIS
A SWOTS analysis was constructed to give an overview of the South African
fashion industry and pinpoint the various aspects affecting its performance.
Table 2: SWOTS Analysis
Strengths
• Talent/originality
• Exposure of World Cup
• Burgeoning mobile technology use
• Burgeoning social media use
• Growing economy
Weaknesses
• Inadequate resources
• Lack of support (governmental)
• Not enough financial stability to do
expensive marketing
• No extensive knowledge of how the
industry works
• No consolidated industry council
• Too many fashion weeks
• Large retailers lack of support for
local designers/CSR initiatives
Opportunities
• Take advantage of World Cup
exposure
• Embrace stereotypes of “African-
ness”
• Embrace the social media boom and
use it to create more awareness and
visibility to the outside world and
dispel stereotypes
• Inexpensive costs of social media
• Allow the industry to communicate
and engage with consumers
differently as well as other industry
stakeholders
• Invitations to show in non-African
markets
Threats
• Competition from other countries
entering the globalized market
• "Chinese syndrome"
• Inability to move past stereotypes of
Africa and “African-ness,” as well
as being “traditional”
• Inability to change as constantly as
fashion does
• Transparency social media brings
• Blur of fashion weeks
• Lingering stigma of Africa being
“backward”
41
STRENGTHS
• Untapped potential and talent
There are many fashion designers in South Africa, as well as fashion and
design institutes to cultivate designers. Primary and secondary research
concluded that South African designers engage and participate in social media
as a way to build their brands.
• Burgeoning social media and mobile technology use
As stated before, South Africa has a high social media engagement. Facebook,
Twitter and YouTube are the best platforms in which the various key
stakeholders of the fashion industry can get information and communicate
with the outside world. It can also give a voice to the designers, help build
the infrastructure of the industry and dismantle the prevailing stereotypes
of “traditional” African design. “... social media platforms such as
Facebook and the internet has given us the kind of access and ability to
promote ourselves which doesn’t cost as much money or a lot of money to
do,” said Thulare Monareng on how social media can help the African fashion
industry.
111
• Exposure from the World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup introduced the world to South Africa in a 21
st
century context. Not only were many industries positively affected by the
42
111
Monareng, Thulare (Fashion Designer) Skype interview with author. January 5, 2011.
exposure, but the event allowed the perceptions of Africa to be positively
changed as noted by surveys conducted by FIFA and South Africa Tourism.
• Growing economy
Accordingly, because of the success of the World Cup, the country’s GDP rose
0.5 percent.
112
However, the long term effects will not be seen for some time.
WEAKNESSES
• Weak infrastructure
Renato Palmi identified a missing critical stakeholder, “a cohesive
representative council that can advocate on behalf of the industry.”
113
The
clothing and textile industries have the National Bargaining Council for
Clothing Manufacturing Industry and the National Textile Bargaining Council,
respectively; while the fashion industry does not. A representative council
would be able to unite the entire industry and strengthen its operation and
reputation. No governing council and no consolidated source for
information really hinders the visibility of the industry. The industry is split
among the main creative industry epicenters: Cape Town, Johannesburg and
Durban. The lack of an overarching governing body can imply two things: 1)
dissent among key stakeholders within the sector to join forces and have a
platform where a unified voice on policies, internal and external issues,
43
112
“Background Note: South Africa.”
113
http://www.ifashion.co.za/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=Unpicking-the-South-African-Fashion-Industry-
Part-1.html&Itemid=75
trade, import and governmental regulations can be made clear; or 2) no
governmental support of the industry. Palmi’s research suggested that “there
is no concrete evidence of how the industry and the government does, or
could plan to, stimulate the developmental progress…”
114
• Lack of designer knowledge about how global fashion industry/the business of
fashion works
Communication is the very essence of the fashion industry. It is the method in
which a designer’s range is shown and distributed around the world.
Understanding how to recognize communication vehicles and how to
maximize exposure is key to a fashion designer’s viability. Designers know
how to be creative; however, as my primary research has shown, they do not
understand the underpinnings of the business of fashion. Palmi also suggests
one challenge retailers face in supporting local design in their stores is the
“designers’ lack of business skills”
115
Fashion is a business, a multi-billion
dollar business at that, where communication is at the crux of its foundation.
“African designers need to start designing clothes that are commercially
viable because at the moment that is not what they do.” said Thulare
Monareng.
116
44
114
Palmi, Inside-Out,10.
115
Palmi, blogpost, “Unpicking the South African Fashion Industry 1: Introduction.”
116
Thulare Monareng (Fashion Designer) Skype interview with author, January 5, 2011.
• Too many fashion weeks
Palmi states that the fashion industry is “deeply fragmented.” Why?
Fashion weeks. There are five fashion weeks- Audi Joburg, Cape Town,
Durban, Africa and SA Fashion Week accompanied by other regional events.
According to article in The New Age, South Africa outnumbers London, Paris,
Milan and New York.
117
The two most prominent and ongoing weeks are Cape
Town Fashion Week, featuring spring and summer collections; and Joburg
Fashion Week, featuring autumn and winter collections.
118
The main purpose
of fashion weeks are for media to give exposure to the designers’ and their
work, as well as for buyers to purchase designers’ collections.
• Lack of large retailer support and corporate social responsibility to support
local designers
Due to cheap labor and productions costs many of the large South African
retailers import apparel from China, also known as “Chinese syndrome.”
Some have taken the initiative to retail local designers work. For example,
Thulare Monareng’s 2010 collection was promoted in Woolworths as a
part of the store’s initiative to support local designers.
OPPORTUNITIES
• Take advantage of the World Cup exposure
45
117
Ndebele “Does SA have too many fashion weeks?”
118
An overlooked detail is that the country is in the southern hemisphere, reversing the seasons. Summer is September
through March; winter is April through August.
The South African fashion industry can leverage the momentum created by the
World Cup. “I mean I think the World Cup has elevated the people’s
perception of Africa. I think that there is a more positive perception,” said
Thulare Monareng.
119
• Unite all fashion weeks into one single fashion week
The other global fashion industries have two fashion weeks semiannually—
fall/winter and spring/summer. South Africa, on the other hand, has five
fashion weeks including: Audi Joburg, Cape Town, Durban, Africa and SA
Fashion Week. On one hand, there is a need for designers to have the
opportunity to feature their works as many times as possible; however,
designers should showcase their work as the other major industries do so they
can gain as much exposure as possible with timing of the media.
• Use social media, internet and mobile technology as a platform to gain more
visibility
South Africa is a highly mobile country. As stated before approximately 93
percent of the population uses a mobile phone and social media penetration is
on the rise. “We need to start utilizing these platforms more effectively to our
advantage in terms of promoting ourselves as designers because we
certainly do not have those marketing budgets.”
120
46
119
Thulare Monareng (Fashion Designer) Skype interview with author, January 5, 2011.
120
Ibid.
• Break the stereotypes created by non-African design and designers
Colonialism and post-colonialism instilled images of “traditional” African
design into popular culture for centuries. “I think that social media in general
has the ability to change perceptions because it's constant and current,” said
Erica Sewell.
121
Thus, social media can help dispel those stereotypes and
allow African designers to voice and show what African fashion is in an
African, yet global context.
THREATS
• Won’t be able to break stronghold of western fashion
The “Classic Four” (Paris, New York, London and Milan) have had decades,
even centuries of building up brands and establishing elite business practices.
The “deeply fragmented” South African fashion industry may not be able to
match the established infrastructure of its western counterparts.
• Chinese syndrome,
122
or imports of cheap apparel
This is a big threat to the South African fashion designers. Not only does it
undermine the work of local designers, it also tempts larger retail stores to
turn elsewhere. “China stands out as the force that dominates clothing and
textile industries internationally.”
123
Chinese manufacturers offer attractive
47
121
Erica Sewell(Fashion Designer and Creative Consultant) Email interview with author, March 21, 2011.
122
Renato Palmi, April 7, 2008, blog post, “Unpicking the South African Fashion Industry 2: China,” iFashion Blogs,
March 31, 2008, http://www.ifashion.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=749&Itemid=264
123
Palmi, Inside-Out,14.
low prices –10 to 50 percent lower than competitors in other low-wage
countries.
124
By 2005, 86 percent of apparel imports came from China. This
resulted in quotas being implemented
125
(which ended in December 31, 2008)
which, in turn, led retailers to search elsewhere for cheap imports. The first
quarter of 2007 led to a 30 percent drop of Chinese imports.
126
• Competition from other countries entering the globalized market
Other emerging fashion markets may have better infrastructure and better uses
of social media to gain exposure.
• Won’t be able to change perceptions of Africa being “backward”
Using social media may not be successful in changing perceptions of African
design. This will ultimately depend on how the infrastructure will change in
coming years.
• The array of fashion weeks makes individual designers’ wares blur in the
mind of buyers and media.
Too many fashion weeks can disrupt the structure of fashion media making it
hard to consolidate the information and present it at appropriate times.
48
124
Ibid., 15.
125
Palmi, Inside-Out,11. The World Trade Organization established the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) as a
multilateral instrument to regulate the removal of quotas over 10 years, which took place on January 1, 2005. The goal
of this was to integrate the clothing and textile industries. However, Africa was hit hardest by job losses after the
termination of the ATC and are having difficulty competing with Asian goods according to the December 2005 Report
of the International Trade Union.
126
Ibid.
• Transparency social media brings
Social media can either show the strength of the fashion industry or show its
flaws due to lack of infrastructure. If social media is used, it must be used
strategically and be used to actively engage in the global fashion industry
discourse and not just used for the purpose for having it.
49
CHAPTER 8: RECOMMENDATIONS
DO NOT underestimate the power of social media. Social media has allowed South
Africans to join the global community at an accelerated rate. This could be a lucrative
venture if strategically planned.
DO foster business skills in designers so they can understand the business of fashion
better and to make their designs and businesses more viable.
DO create a national representative body for the industry. This is perhaps the biggest task
for the country’s fashion industry. A national body can help build the infrastructure of the
industry, as well as make strategic decisions to expand and promote designers’ work.
DO use social media as way to advocate the South African fashion industry and dispel
existing stereotypes.
DO NOT use social media just as a means to an end. Instead, use it to actively engage
and participate in global and local discourses pertaining to the industry.
DO consolidate the five fashion weeks into two fashion week events. This will allow
more cohesion among designers and provincial fashion councils.
DO include traditional media as a part of a public relations campaign. Even though social
media is the primary focus on building awareness of the industry, other mediums should
not be ignored.
50
CHAPTER 9: CONCLUSIONS
Social media gives a voice to the voiceless. In the case of the South African
fashion industry, it can give its designers a platform to have their work featured and gain
international awareness. As a result, social media can dissolve stereotypes of Africa and
“African-ness” and give people the ability to actually see what the real images of South
Africa, or any other African country, are and not the appropriated images non-African
designers have used for centuries. The industry must use the momentum created by the
World Cup to help continue positive exposure. Accordingly, social media can also allow
South African designers the ability to create their own sustainability due to the low costs
of those services. Since the infrastructure of the industry is different to that of the
“Classic Four” it presents a unique opportunity for South African industry to utilize and
really make its own. Fortunately, the research presented in this thesis shows that fashion
designers have begun to engage in social media; however it is “2-3 years behind that of
the US.”
127
Additionally, as research suggests the creation of a representative council would
provide an industry trade platform where all fashion industry stakeholders can be
acknowledged and have access to important industry data, policies and debates. Social
media plays an important part in that infrastructure allowing all the industry data to be
relayed to the outside world. However, without that body, it is a futile quest.
51
127
Erica Sewell(Fashion Designer and Creative Consultant) Email interview with author, March 21, 2011.
It is also apparent that communication needs to be at the forefront of the South
African fashion industry. However, the main point the research conducted for this thesis
suggests is that the South African industry is fragmented just as Renato Palmi suggested.
Without that, the preconceived images of South Africa and African design as a whole will
prevail until a council can come together and change those perceptions that have
influenced the country for centuries.
52
GLOSSARY
To better understand the scope of this project, the following definitions are critical:
Africanisms – African designs that are interpreted and created by non-African
designers.
128
African fashion – African designs that are created by African designers.
Contemporary globalization – is based upon the development and expansion of the
Digital Revolution and Web 2.0 advancements where access to information and
communication technologies such as the Internet, mobile technology and social media
has allowed developing countries to become a part of the global community.
Costumes – particularly cultural garb, are best described by Victoria Rovine in the
following statement:
non-Western dress is costume because it is unchanging, encodes deep
meanings, and projects group identity and membership...which is
associated with stasis and predictability….
129
In other words, costumes are seen as traditional.
Clothing – is considered to be more static and unchanging than fashion that is more
functional.
Exotic and the “other”– are early anthropological terms that were used to draw lines of
demarcation between western and non-western cultures, inferring inherent inequality
and inferiority among the latter. It also was partnered with the theory of cultural
evolution where all cultures progress through levels of sophistication, or lack
thereof, starting from savagery, then to barbarism and ultimately attaining
civilization status.
Fashion – This is a facet-laden term bearing different meanings depending on the context
it is used:
53
128
Rovine, “Colonialism’s Clothing,” 45.
129
Ibid., 47.
• Fashion as time “is a mobile, changing reflection of the way we are and the
times in which we live.”
130
This is a very broad, temporal definition of the
term portraying fashion as a “cyclical momentum’.”
131
For example, the
fashion industry is setup to showcase designers’ work two times a year. Fall
and winter collections are previewed in August while spring and summer
collections are previewed in February. These semiannual events, or fashion
weeks, are held months in advance for buyers to select items; manufacturers
to produce enough units of the garments; retailers to market to consumers
accordingly and for fashion media to illuminate the event to the outside world.
As Victoria Rovine said “time is crucial to the economy of fashion; success in
the fashion world is dependent upon not only being-up-to-date, but also
predicting the tastes of the next season.”
132
Therefore, timing is of the utmost
importance for designers to maximize exposure and profits.
• Fashion as a social agent for change is best described by Rebecca Arnold as:
Fashion is not merely clothes, nor is it just a collection of images. Rather,
it is a vibrant form of visual and material culture that plays an important
role in social and cultural life. It is a major economic force, amongst the
top ten industries in developing countries. It shapes our bodies,
and the way we look at other people’s bodies. It can enable
creative freedom to express alternative identities or dictate what is
deemed beautiful and acceptable. It raises important ethical and moral
questions, and connects to fine art and popular culture.
133
South Africa fashion designer Thulare Monareng said that “it really tells you a
lot about the economic, political times that we live in.”
134
Thus, fashion is a
reflection of current beliefs and values.
• Fashion as an industry produces womenswear, menswear, jewelry, footwear,
handbags and accessories. It is the intersection between many industries that
54
130
Callan, Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers,7.
131
Breward, Fashion, 17.
132
Colonialism’s Clothing: Africa, France and the Deployment of Fashion, 50
133
Arnold, Fashion, 7.
134
Thulare Monareng (Fashion Designer) Skype interview with author, January 5, 2011.
work together to create, promote and sell collections and styles. Designers
“help create the billions of dresses, suits, shoes, and other clothing and
accessories purchased every year by consumers. Designers study fashion
trends, sketch designs of clothing and accessories, select colors and fabrics,
and oversee the final production of their designs.”
135
Therefore, designers
must be cognizant of trends and combining them with an appealing
aesthetic. Buyers “are responsible for overseeing the development of a
range of products aimed at a specific type of customer and price bracket.”
136
Therefore, forecasting trends plays a crucial role to strategically place
and target the collections or ranges. Buyers will also select the appropriate
textiles to use in the production of the garments and accessories. Fashion
media plays an integral role in publicizing the work of designers and
keeping consumers up-to-date with current and future trends.
• Fashion as artistic expression is deemed couture as designers produce
limited editions of the pieces which are constructed from higher quality
materials. These are called “one-off” items. Designers take inspiration and
transform it into material form.
• Fashion as a sign of status corresponds to many social science theories and
deals with the consumerism aspect or more specifically “ ‘hyper
segmentation,’ which isolates each lifestyle in its own niche”
137
allowing
people not to be defined by social class, but by consumption of cultural
goods. This theory speaks of how consumers cannot be broken into neatly-
defined categories because “age and social cohorts no longer share the same
experiences; timing of experiences, such as education, first employment,
marriage, and childbearing, has become more erratic.”
138
Fashionista – is “a designer, promoter, or follower of the latest fashions.”
139
Fashion designer, or the image of the fashion designer, – “has evolved in line with the
idea of the artist as a creative individual...partly because design and innovation are
55
135
“Fashion Designers,” last modified December 17, 2009, http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos291.htm#projections_data.
136
Helen Goworek, Fashion buying . 2. ed. (Oxford: Blackwell Pub. Ltd;, 2007):2.
137
Diana Crane Fashion and Its Social Agendas: Class, Gender, and Identity in Clothing. (Chicago: The University of
Chicago Press, 2000):10.
138
Ibid., 13.
139
“Fashionista,”accessed March 31, 2011, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fashionista.
the most valued aspects of fashion, since they are the basis for each collection and
viewed as the most creative element of the process.”
140
This distinction is what
separates a high fashion, or haute couture, designer from a mass market fashion
designer.
Haute couture – means “high quality fashion design and construction.”
141
It is often
abbreviated as couture, which is French for sewing or needlework, and refers to
“individually created, rather than mass-produced clothes. It also covers limited
editions of clothing.”
142
Joburg – is the nickname for Johannesburg.
Mass market fashion – is where designs are manufactured in high volume in different
sizes and colors. Department stores such as Macy’s, Target, Nordstrom’s and
Bloomingdale’s are examples of retailers who combine mass market fashion and
with haute couture items where designers produce collections specifically for those
department stores.
Ready-to-wear fashion – also prêt-à-porter in French, stands for “clothes which carry a
designer’s label but which can be bought ready-made off the peg.”
143
The advent of
the sewing machine circa 1840
144
allowed ready-to-wear fashion to transform the
industry where “trends were therefore identified quickly and integrated into
56
140
Ibid., 18.
141
Callan, Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers,130. The designer or couturier creates models from a toile,
made in fine linen or muslin, which bears his or her name. Garments based on the toile are then made to measure for
clients. A union of dress designers, the Chambre Syndicale de la Confection et de la Couture pour Dames et Fillettes,
was founded in Paris in 1868 to prevent designs from being plagiarized. In 1910, the Chambre Syndicale de la
Parisienne- couturiers separate from the original guilds that comprised the earlier organization-showed their collections
together to promote French fashion overseas. A fashion college was established in 1928. After World War II, in 1945,
the Chambre created a travelling exhibition of clothers, the Theatre de la Mode, in an attempt to reestablish Paris as the
fashion capital of the world. Fifty-three houses participated in this exhibition. The Chambre, which is part of the
Federation Francaise de la Couture du Preta-Porter des Couturiers et des Createurs de Mode, is also known as the
Chamber Syndicale de la Couture, and the Chamvre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. The organization dictates that
couture house must employ at least twenty people in their workshops and present at least fifty original designs to the
Press in Paris during the Spring/Summer season collections (shown in January) and the Autumn/Winter season
collections (shown in July). The designs presented are either made up for clients by the respective houses or sold as
paper or linen patterns to authorized buyers. Haute couture relies heavily on a group of specialists, who make buttons,
gloves, costume jewelry, millinery and trimmings to a high level of workmanship. It is labor-intensive and costly. In
1946, there were 106 couture houses. By 1997 there were eighteen couture houses, with five associated houses.
Couture houses grant manufacturers the right to use their name on clothing and accessory items.
142
Ibid., 78.
143
Ibid., 213.
144
Ibid., 6.
couturiers’ collections, allowing Paris to maintain its position at the forefront of
fashion.”
145
SA – is the abbreviation for South Africa
57
145
Arnold, Fashion, 20.
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: Aicha Ayebobo Interview Transcript
ZN: What is your background?
AAT: I come from a marketing mix background and I have a five-year working
experience in the automobile industry. I decided last year I needed to follow my heart and
do what I love most. So I am actually taking a masters in fashion management at Mod'Art
International in Paris to finally leave my passion for fashion in an imminent future.
ZN: What is the future of the African fashion industry?
AAT: The future of fashion in Africa is very bright. I believe Africa is the future in so
many industries including fashion. We have so much talent and untapped creativity in the
continent. Africans are now in the best fashion schools around the world and are ready to
contribute and express their talents. The road is long and it’s not going to be easy but I
believe in the future of fashion in the continent.
ZN: How has the African fashion industry been influenced by modern globalization (i.e.,
social media, internet, blogs)?
AAT: Well designers in the continent and the diaspora are trying to meet international
standards and also follow trends to appeal to everyone but at the same time keeping the
African touch and originality. Globalization is helping them get a voice and promote their
art and so far so good I will say.
ZN: What is fashion?
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AAT: Fashion is a state of mind. A spirit, an extension of oneself. It’s being comfortable
with what you decide to wear and translating self-esteem into a personal style. It’s a
synonym for glamour, beauty and style. I can go on and on.
ZN: What do you think the perceived image of African designers is?
AAT: African designers were perceived to be to be highly traditional in their collections
and were not appealing to the younger generations. But there has been a revolution since
and we have new and upcoming designers in the continent who has nothing to envy their
western counterparts.
ZN: What challenges or opportunities do you perceive to be for the African fashion
market on a local and international level?
AAT: The challenges for the African fashion market today can be resumed in one word.
Support. The industry needs to be recognized in the different countries and governments
need to acknowledge the fact that the industry can be a great source of development for
its people. The opportunities are endless. If the platform is given to the designers and the
resources, they will bring in a revolution in the world. All the markets are ready to
appreciate and consume the African creativity if only they are able to bring it out there to
the consumers.
ZN: Where do you see yourself, as a fashion designer, in the role of promoting fashion in
an African context?
AAT: I am not a designer, but to promote African fashion we need to be present were it
matters, We need to be ready to compete. And Africa needs to develop its own powerful
65
tools such as fashion magazines, stores, online website, etc. to promote the work of the
designers.
ZN: Why is fashion so important?
AAT: Fashion is important because its defines as as people. It comes and goes and its part
of everyday life. How you appear to people generally determines who you are. People
decide to respect, fear, appreciate you or not based on how you are dressed. It’s not
obvious but it’s very important indeed. Everybody got to have a little bit of fashion sense
in them.
ZN: How has modern globalization (i.e., internet) affected the image of African fashion?
Has it created more visibility to the outside world?
AAT: I think I have already answered this question. Yes, very much I will say, but there is
still a long way to go for them to get to the top.
ZN: Will African fashion designers reach the height of influence and fame as European
and American designers have?
AAT: They will if they work towards that achievement and if they get the boost they need
as well like Europeans and Americans enjoy.
ZN: How is African fashion and design different from that of American and European
fashion design?
AAT: It’s different and yet complementary because Africa is the favorite source of
inspiration for western designers. Africa is a powerful continent full of history, culture
and greatness in every aspects of their daily lives. Even the fabrics have a story to tell. So
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the source of inspiration is endless. Usually every collection from a designer tells you a
story which can easily come to life. It’s also full of colors and good vibes. It’s
recognizable, its has an identity.
ZN: Has the World Cup been helpful in shedding more light on different industries in
South Africa, or Africa as a whole?
ATT: I hope so.
ZN: What steps are needed in order for a designer to become influential enough to be
considered high fashion?
ATT: An institution or someone needs to believe in him enough to invest in his business.
They have the talent, the creativity and the originality all they need and ask is to be given
the opportunity to show the world their work.
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APPENDIX B:Thulare Monareng Interview Transcript
ZN: What is fashion?
TM: What is fashion? I mean fashion is a lot of different things. For me it’s about self-
expression. Fashion is an industry. Fashion is about trends and fashion tells a lot about
the times we live in. For example, you know during depressions and recessions or during
economic booms a lot of things within the fashion context change. You know for
example, you know if you look in the 1920s you know pre/post-Depression that things
like hemlines either go up or they go down. You know the kinds of colors you know
when there are depressions and recessions fashion trends in terms of colors; colors go
darker, and that during booms colors brighten. So it really also tells you a lot about the
economic, political times that we live in. But it is an industry. It is probably one of the
most lucrative industries in the sense that people spend billions of dollars a year on
clothing, handbags, on shoes on hats on sunglasses. So like I said it’s a multi-billion
dollar industry, but it also has to do with self-expression; it has to do with status .People
buy products or brands in particular like Louis Vuitton or Marc Jacobs because they are
also status symbols so there’s a lot of different aspects to fashion.
ZN: How has modern globalization such as the internet affected the image of African
fashion?
TM: I think there’s been a lot more exposure. With the advent of the internet and
Facebook and sort of like social media it’s given African designers a greater platform in
terms of exposing African fashion in the sense that I think um sort of more traditional
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media hasn’t because African fashion has not been given the exposure and platform that it
deserves and in particular African designers and simply because we don’t have the kind
of resources that I think our western counterparts have because you know fashion is an
industry and it’s driven by; marketing plays an integral part in building fashion brands.
You know the Louis Vuitton, the Marc Jacobs, they spend millions of dollars on
marketing and advertising. Um which as us African designers do not have those kinds of
budgets. So you know platforms such as you know social media platforms such as
Facebook and the internet has given us the kind of access and ability to promote
ourselves which doesn’t cost as much money or a lot of money to do.
But on the other hand, if you look at the big fashion designers particularly coming out of
Paris or if you look at like Gwen Stefani’s Lamb for example or Dianne V on Furstenberg
that they draw a lot of inspiration for Africa you know so that African aesthetic is very
popular, but African designers you know we are not and don’t have that platform yet , but
the African aesthetic has become more increasingly popular and more acceptable. Like I
said all of these big designers and designers’ brands are drawing inspiration from Africa.
But I think on the other hand, we as African designers you know that we need to start
utilizing these platforms more effectively to our advantage in terms of promoting
ourselves as designers because we certainly do not have those marketing budgets.
You know one of things being in Senegal it was really interesting. I mean it was such a
wonderful opportunity. I mean the kind of talent that exists on the continent is so
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phenomenal, amazing and incredible and creative and it is just brilliant, but the problem
is that African designers do not have a commercial approach to design. You know they
kind of you know it’s very couture, particularly in West Africa, it’s very couture so it like
one-of pieces and also because in those countries they don’t have a retail sector. I think
SA is the only exception in the sense that we have a Woolworths, we have an Edgars, you
know we have a Mr. Price so we have a very western approach in terms of retail and
therefore we are forced as South African designers to look at design from a commercial
approach. Where as in west Africa or the rest of Africa they don’t have a retail sector.
There is no Woolworth’s, there is no Macy’s there is no Bloomingdales and therefore
their design approach is very couture in the sense that they design one-of pieces for
particular clients. You can’t really make money that way therefore, they rely on clients
and people that they know. I suppose in that respect there is a less of a need for them to
be very sort of market driven in a sense that they don’t really have to market their product
because they have a client base within a ten-mile radius. Whereas when you are in retail
and sort of looking at design from a commercial perspective you’re trying to reach as
wide of an audience as possible and therefore marketing plays an integral part in selling
your product. So those are some of the things when you look at why there aren’t that
many marketing drives behind African designers because quite honestly they don’t have a
market to market to. Whereas in the West, you’ve got consumers, you’re trying to appeal
to millions of consumers and the only way you can do that is through marketing and
advertising you know and through televisions, magazines, radio, social media platforms
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and that sort of marketing approach. Where in Africa it is a very different retail, like I
said there is no retail sector there to speak and South Africa is the only exception.
ZN: Besides South Africa consumerism isn’t the major focus in other African countries?
TM: Yes and no. One of the things I noticed being in Dakar is that you know brands such
as Diesel, (inaudible), and Levis are starting to make inroads into those markets so there
is to a certain extent and also it has a lot to do with like hip-hop culture in a sense that
hip-hop culture has such a huge influence particularly amongst young people so a lot of
African youth are watching television and videos and watching Jay-Z wearing whatever
and Beyonce wearing whatever so there is a lot so they’re influenced by that and they try
to copy you know that kind of style but they don’t necessarily have the resources to buy a
lot of that product like we do say in South Africa, the US or Europe for example and
hence, you find a lot of knock-off like the Chinese knock-offs which I mean are huge . I
mean when I was in Dakar, I swear to you it was like crazy you know people selling
knock-off Louis Vuitton or whatever the case. People in those countries and in those
communities want to emulate the Jay-Zs and Beyonce and what have you, but they don’t
necessarily have the resources to buy the originals. The Chinese have come in and figured
out that the vast majority of the world’s population, not only in Africa, but the world’s
population who also want to be sporting Louis Vuitton, but don’t necessarily have Louis
Vuitton money and that’s where the knock-offs come in. Yea, but I think in terms of a
retail sector like our understanding of it doesn’t exist on the continent.
ZN: What are the steps for a designers to be considered high fashion?
71
TM: It depends on what you mean by high fashion. There are different categories within
the fashion sector. There are two basic areas: there’s ready to wear and then couture.
Ready to wear is the stuff you find everywhere in a Daffy’s to Macy’s to a Bloomingdales
to a Bergdorf Goodman to a Saks 5
th
Avenue versus(audio breaks up).
Those are like two basic categories. Ready-to-wear is more mass production, which ends
up on a retail floor so you’re appealing to a mass audience and in terms of units you’re
doing larger units. It’s basically me walking into a Woolworth’s or a Macy’s and buying a
dress off the rack and putting it on and going out. Whereas a couture garment is a
garment that is usually handmade, made to measure to a very specific person or body and
it’s usually hugely expensive. So it’s not the kind of product you’d walk into a store and
buy, it’s made to measure, it’s handmade, it’s very expensive and it’s a one-of so you’d be
the only person who has that garment. And the price tag is 100 times more than your
ready-to- wear garment.
ZN: How is African fashion and design different from its western counterparts? Or, how
is it similar?
TM: The aesthetic is different in a sense that African design utilizes African, in terms of
textile design, the design is very “African” and also the silhouettes are very different.
Particularly in West Africa because in southern Africa and South Africa is a lot more
European and very Western. So I’ll use West Africa and East Africa as examples. And a
lot of it is dictated by religion. In Islamic-speaking countries the silhouettes are generally
longer because the women need to cover their arms and cover their legs so you’ll find
72
that the skirts and dresses are generally long and that the arms are covered. So there is a
very different approach to design whereas in the West you know miniskirts and showing
your cleavage and short sleeves that’s what hot; that’s what’s sexy. Whereas in most parts
of Africa which are influenced by Islam you can’t be wearing miniskirts and skirts that
come to the knees so it’s dictated by the culture the designer or the product sort of lives in
and of course the colors as well. African people generally like bright colors and they like
a lot of in terms of textile design, there is more complex , there’s a lot more shapes and
colors within the textile design. Whereas I find in the West it is a very different approach.
And depending on where you are because even in places like Europe, like Scandinavian
countries, Scandinavians are very minimalist when it comes to their approach to design
and fashion whereas in London the whole kind of Punk-era is a whole different aesthetic
and tweeds. Broadly speaking, I’d say that African fashion is greatly dictated by religion,
primarily Islam, and the silhouettes are longer, longer skirts, the sleeves are generally
longer, there’s no cleavage, but still very beautiful I find. I think in terms of cuts in terms
of shaping the body it is generally very very beautiful. So there is elegance when you see
these African woman wearing these long beautiful skirts with these tops; it’s really
stunning. And like I said besides the textile design there’s a lot of embroidery so there’s a
lot of work that goes into it; embroidering and beading so generally in mass production
that would be very expensive to do so hence I think the sort of costume approach to the
mass production in Europe because if you’re trying to mass produce a garment that
requires a lot of embroidering and requires a lot beading it would be too expensive to
73
make because the whole objective of mass production is and the whole retail sector is to
make a garment as cheaply as possible, to make it as appealing as possible, but to make it
as cheaply as possible. And Africans are less concerned with the that component. The
more embroidery the better. The more elaborate it is the better they like it.
ZN: How impactful has the World Cup made the appropriation of African design by non-
African designer? Or, has it always been in the background?
TM: I think it has always existed. I think like I said the most respected designers in the
world, you know Africa has even in terms of art Picasso copied African artists. The
reason Picasso is the artist is today was because he was inspired, stole from African art
and that’s the truth. And the same is true in fashion. The most famous designers in the
world are inspired. They take inspiration from Africa, but they put a western spin on it. I
think African designers have not been able to do that; they have not been able to balance
an African aesthetic with a European aesthetic and create that balance which is what I
think European and American designers have been able to do. I mean I think the World
Cup has elevated the people’s perception of Africa. I think that there is a more positive
um perception about Africa as a result of that and I think that has a domino effect on
every thing from fashion to other industries. And I think fashion has definitely benefitted
from that. In years to come I think we’ll see more and more African designers making an
impact on the international fashion scene. Not only designers drawing inspiration from
Africa, but African designers you know making an impact as respected fashion designers.
74
ZN: In order for African designers to get to that next level, what would be the main
challenges and opportunities?
TM: I think that African designers need to understand how the fashion industry and how
the fashion business works from a western perspective because like I was saying African
designers design one little thing here and one little thing there and there is no business
approach cause fashion is a business in the same way that you know that IT is. So I think
that the problem with African designers is that African designers do not and have not
understood that fashion is a business and to treat it that way so the entire value chain
from design to manufacturing to sourcing your fabric to costing all of that stuff most
African designers have no clue which is why they’ll make one dress here, one pant here
and one shirt here. You know there’s no costing because in the entire value chain of the
business you need to understand from the design the fabric that you use where you
produce how much your produce and ultimately how much you retail the product for that
is the same type value chain of the business and that by the time it arrives on the retail
floor, it has to be affordable for you and I. But if you’re going to be designing a shirt and
then using fabric that costs like a R100 and then putting like embroidery on it which costs
R200 you can’t sell that product. It’s not financially viable from a mass production
perspective. These were some of the conversations I was having with some of the
designers. I mean great they do all this really beautiful elaborate designs, but they’re not
wearable, they’re not wearable for the average Joe Blow on the street. And African
designers need to start designing clothes that are commercially viable because at the
75
moment that is not what they do. They design all these fabulous things, but you and I
can’t wear any of that stuff and certainly I would wear it the one time I get invited to the
White House for like some fancy dinner or the Oscars. But I need a product and a
garment designed by an African designer that I can wear to work or that I can wear when
I go out at night and that just does not exist yet. So the responsibility also relies with
African designers also to start understanding the fashion industry and how the fashion
business works and to adapt themselves accordingly.
ZN: Where do you see yourself as a fashion designer in the role of promoting fashion in
an African context?
TM: Really my goal and my hope it to make an impact on the global fashion platform.
And I think that one of things that I have come to understand now is that in order to do
that, in order to achieve that, I need to understand and I need to design ranges and
clothing that are commercially viable and that are aesthetically appealing not only to
African people, but to Japanese people, to European people and to American people. And
so it’s about to strike that fine balance that ‘Yes, I am an African designer with and
African aesthetic, but how do I balance Africa and Europe and America and make a
product that has global appeal?’ And that is what I am really working on doing now cause
I think that is the only way we as African designers and I as a South African designer am
going to make an impact on a global scale and that is my objective and intention as a
designer is to build a fashion brand that is globally recognized and respected in the same
way that Marc Jacobs, or Louis Vuitton or Dianne V on Furstenberg is but you gotta
76
understand how the game is played in order to play it you know? And that is what I am
really doing now.
ZN: And that makes perfect sense because with the World Cup t-shirts, just being in the
store asking, especially the Dutch because they were such a huge force in Cape Town,
just speaking to that specific audience, you have understand the audience that you’re
serving.
TM: Absolutely. Absolutely. And even price points. I think one of the things I learned
from that was that I out-priced myself and that I should have used a cheaper product
cause people didn’t really care that it was 100 percent cotton and all that kind of stuff.
People just wanted a t-shirt that said something about the country they supported, that
day and said something about the World Cup. Whether it was polyester they didn’t care.
For me that was a valuable learning lesson because I put so much time and energy in ‘it’s
like 100 percent cotton. It’s this and that’ and spent a lot of time and energy and resources
on that. Whereas in understanding the soccer customer, who that customer is. They don’t
care that it is 100 percent cotton and that you know that it has all this intricate design and
what have you. They just want any t-shirt that they can wear for the day that is affordable
because they were probably going to be buying six other t-shirts. So I needed to have
understood that, but I didn’t and I think that was one of the lessons I learned out of that
experience. I think that is being in the commercial fashion business is really all about
understanding who your customer is; how much they are willing to spend for a product;
77
what they really want and then just giving them that. That’s my approach from a design
perspective.
ZN: For African designers to get to that next level in terms of understanding the
commercial viability of clothing, what is the future of the African fashion industry?
TM: I think it is amazing. I think particularly there’s younger designers and African
designers are becoming a lot more exposed. We’re showing on more platforms like New
York Fashion Week and Paris. So we’re getting a lot more recognition and exposure
which I think is really really fantastic. And I think that the more exposure we also begin
to understand how the fashion business actually operates and therefore a lot of us are
beginning to adjust how we approach fashion like I said approaching it more from a
commercial perspective and looking at manufacturing at where we can most cost
effectively manufacture and really like I said understanding and striking the fine balance
between yes having an African aesthetic, but having an aesthetic that appeals to a much
broader international market and not just African people. You want to speak to as many
people across the world as possible. So I think it’s really fantastic and that they are so
many African designers who are doing such incredible work, beautiful work and I think
that it’s just a matter of time before they become household names as well.
ZN: Besides South Africa, what other African countries are the key players in African
fashion?
78
TM: Ivory Coast, there’s some amazing designers there. Nigeria is also really big. There
are three or four African designers who are making serious inroads and ways into the
fashion industry and are going international as well. I think South Africa, the Ivory Coast
and Nigeria are the three countries in terms of a design aesthetic that has a global appeal
in terms of the marketing, the commercial approach to fashion, those are three countries
to look out for. I think South Africa in the next five years will be making some serious
inroads.
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APPENDIX C: Victoria L. Rovine Interview Transcript
ZN: Do you think advancements in new communication media (e.g., social media,
mobile technology, internet, etc) have a role in disseminating images of African fashion
and textiles?
VR: I imagine they would. Lots of African designers are making use of the internet, and
especially Facebook.
ZN: Will African fashion designers reach the height of influence and fame as European
and American designers have?
VR: Hard to predict. Maybe some will, and a few already have. They face much greater
challenges than Euro-American designers, both because of lack of access to technologies
of design/production, and because global markets often have preconceived notions about
what "African fashion" is.
ZN: What do you think the perceived image of African designers are?
VR: For western markets, African design tends to call to mind "traditional" dress styles,
associated with "ethnic" attire.
ZN: Where do you see yourself in the role of promoting African fashion and textiles in a
global context?
VR: I'm interested in writing about interesting designers, past and present. My goal isn't
to promote their work, but I hope that by publishing information/analysis, I may help to
raise their profiles.
ZN: What is the future of African fashion and textiles in the global community?
80
VR: I can't answer that, but I hope more and more designers will gain recognition outside
their immediate communities.
81
APPENDIX D: Erica Sewell Interview Transcript
ZN: How does the SA fashion industry utilize and engage in social media?
ESA: The SA industry is only recently starting to actively participate in social media for
fashion in ways similar to the US. Emailing mailers is still a large part of marketing, but
some companies have created and recently started to actively use Facebook and Twitter.
ZN: What do you think is the future of social media in the industry?
ESA: In South Africa? I would say that the industry there is about 2-3 years behind that
of the US, so they will be actively engaging in social media in some of the ways that we
are now by 2013. Ecommerce is a very new sector of capital gain there, so social media
will help engage that experience.
ZN: What are the biggest challenges and opportunities the industry is facing?
ESA: Short answer would be quality fabric availability and a diversity of retail
environments that can carry the popular emerging brands.
ZN: Can social media help change perceptions/stereotypes of African design and
designers?
ESA: It depends on what perception you're referring to? I think that social media in
general has the ability to change perceptions because it's constant and current.
82
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
The South African fashion industry is unique compared to its Western counterparts. A sub-sector of the clothing, textile and footwear industry, it has vast amounts of talent and potential. However, its infrastructure is weak and fragmented mainly due to the lack of a leading national industry council. Ultimately the industry has had to improvise its functionality and infrastructure. With five fashion weeks, South Africa outnumbers similar Western offerings
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Nealy, Zahra Alexandria
(author)
Core Title
"This time for Africa": South Africa's rise onto the global fashion stage
School
Annenberg School for Communication
Degree
Master of Arts
Degree Program
Strategic Public Relations
Publication Date
05/03/2011
Defense Date
04/01/2011
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
Africa,clothing,fashion industry,mobile technology,OAI-PMH Harvest,social media,South Africa,stereotypes,Textiles
Place Name
South Africa
(countries)
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Floto, Jennifer D. (
committee chair
), Saltzman, Joseph (
committee member
), Smith, Erna (
committee member
)
Creator Email
znealy@gmail.com,znealy@usc.edu
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-m3864
Unique identifier
UC1378941
Identifier
etd-Nealy-4477 (filename),usctheses-m40 (legacy collection record id),usctheses-c127-443560 (legacy record id),usctheses-m3864 (legacy record id)
Legacy Identifier
etd-Nealy-4477.pdf
Dmrecord
443560
Document Type
Thesis
Rights
Nealy, Zahra Alexandria
Type
texts
Source
University of Southern California
(contributing entity),
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
(collection)
Repository Name
Libraries, University of Southern California
Repository Location
Los Angeles, California
Repository Email
cisadmin@lib.usc.edu
Tags
fashion industry
mobile technology
social media
stereotypes