Newsletter No. 21                                                                                    08 June 2018

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Source Africa 2018 features 2 days of high-quality industry discussions focusing on global industry trends and trade flow agreements

Cape Town International Convention Centre, 20-21 June 2018

This month Source Africa 2018 opens its doors for a 2-day exhibition with free-to-attend seminar sessions.

The overarching theme for 2018 is a focus on global and local trends, technological optimisation and trade flow agreements that will be brought to life by industry expert speakers. Part of this, will focus on educating attendees on ways in which trade can be made easier between countries in Africa.

The 2-day conference takes place alongside the exhibition that features leading industry suppliers from South Africa, Mauritius, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe.

“With a line-up of over 20 high-caliber speakers and a host of local and international exhibitors, Source Africa is the ideal platform for buyers, sourcing managers, technologists and retailers to benefit and learn from each other through interactive discussions and networking opportunities, “ says Kathryn Frew, Show Director of Source Africa.

Keynote addresses of the conference include the worlds trend authority, WGSN –  trend partners for Source Africa, providing an authoritative view on tomorrow based on trend intelligence, retail analytics and consumer insights. Sara Maggioni, the Director of Retail and Buying, will deliver the trend keynote that will provide the ultimate checklist of the seasons key messages, items, colours, fabrics and print direction for womenswear and menswear. Daniel Silke, the highly regarded and respected political and economic futurist will also deliver a keynote which will provide a macro-economic and social trend overview of the African continent. This presentation is essential for all businesses exposed to the African market and for those considering an expansion into new territories.

Other speakers confirmed for the 2018 event include; Robert Ritson, Managing Director of Berzacks Brothers, who will be speaking about “Smartphone sewing technology – the next generation industrial sewing system“. The session compares traditional technologies such as machine settings with the screwdriver and hand to the latest digital optimisations and its impact on productivity for businesses.

Adding to the stellar line-up is Alberto Carolini – Sales Manager from UL Consumer & Retail Services. Clay Hickson – Vice President of Strategy & Business Development at WRAP in the U.S. and Pieter de Beer – Senior Industry Development Manager at the Industrial Development Council – to name a few.

Day 1 commences with a panel discussion analysing “Online vs Traditional vs Omni-channels” a session that unpacks retail platforms and finding the right balance between online and traditional platforms to target your consumer market. Other topics to be discussed include: Assisting Creative Entrepreneurs, Investment Opportunities, Trade Agreements between African countries and insights on the availability of funding to assist industry development.

“In an industry that is evolving faster than we know, it’s important to have a well-crafted agenda with a variety of relevant topics that allows attendees to take away knowledge on the latest developments, innovations and trends,“ adds Frew. The conference programme is open for all exhibitors and visitors.

A new initiative this year is the Source Africa Young Designers Competition. Source Africa has collaborated with WGSN – global trend forecast experts as its trend partner, to find the best young designers in the Western Cape. Young designers will design a single, retail ready, Women’s Wear look. The competition is open to final year students and recent fashion graduates who studied at accredited fashion colleges in the Western Cape. Selected designers will have their garments showcased by way of a fashion show, where a judging panel will select finalists to fight it out on the runway for the title of Source Africa Young Designer of the Year.

In another first, the Source Africa Graduate Showcase in collaboration with the Cape Town Fashion Council will serve as a platform for students to network whilst presenting their designs to the broader industry.

Network with over 100 local and international manufacturers and thousands of buyers at the 6^th edition of Source Africa which is aimed to promote the growth of small – medium size businesses, increase trade between African countries and improve on standards within the industry as a whole.

Book your free visitor pass online at www.source africa.co.za

For the full conference agenda and to find out which expert speakers you would like to learn from, please visit the website at www.sourceafrica.co.za, and diarise the sessions most applicable to your line of work.

For more information, please contact:

Kathryn Frew, Show Manager,  Kathryn.frew@za.messefrankfurt.com | +27 (0) 10 599 6171

Melissa Bender, Marketing Manager  Melissa.Bender@za.messefrankfurt.com | +27 (0) 10 599 6158

Some stands to look forward to meeting at Source Africa this year!

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SA’s trendiest kids design new winter ranges exclusive to Ackermans

Winners of Ackermans’ 2017 Style Squad Young Fashion Designer Competition are launching their own collections.

Daniella dos Santos (16) and Nikhil Govender (11) are launching their very own girls’ and boys’ winter ranges; which will be available at Ackermans stores across Southern Africa next month.

Everything denim with Daniella dos Santos. Picture: Supplied.

The Style Squad winter range for girls, designed by dos Santos , comprises 10 must-have items including a hoodie, jersey, track-top, track-pants, two pairs of jeans, a jacket, a handbag, a choker and a cap.

Boys can look forward to six stylish items which include two hoodies, a jacket, two track- pants and a pair of jeans, courtesy of boys category winner,Govender.

The  Nikhil Govender swag. Picture: Supplied.

Tanya Ruiters, Marketing Specialist at Ackermans, says the two young fashionistas rose to the various challenges presented to them; showcasing their individual sense of style and creativity.

“Govender  impressed the judges with his use of bold prints – he took fashion risks that really paid off and made his designs stand out from the crowd.”  Dos Santos, winner of the girls’ category, impressed the judges with her attention-to-detail. Her designs were intricate and remained true to her natural bohemian, romantic style,” says Ruiters.

Super stylish in Daniella dos Santos’ new collection.

Ackermans’ annual Style Squad Young Fashion Designer Competition challenges boys and girls aged between 9 and 15 (at time of entry) to complete various fashion-inspired tasks. Winners take home an enviable variation of prizes, including an iPad, branded gear, as well as fashion vouchers.

Monetary prizes awarded to the winners, are R10 000 educational policy (each) and a contribution to each winners’ school.

Camouflage and denim swag with Nikhil Govender’s new collection. Picture: Supplied.

They also receive celeb-like exposure in the Ackermans magazine, on the website and social media platforms, as well as being featured on the Sound of Ackermans in-store radio station. The ultimate prize being the opportunity to design their own clothing ranges and see their peers don their creations. Ackermans

Kenyan agriculture agency supports growing GM cotton

Adoption of the genetically modified (GM) cotton, , commonly known as Bt Cotton, could result in a three-fold increase in cotton production in Kenya, the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) has said in its latest bulletin for the second quarter. The growing of GM cotton has the potential to create up to 600,000 jobs in cotton value-chain, the AFA said.

Kenya must set up a farm-to-factory supply chain for domestically grown cotton while discouraging import of fabric and clothing items, AFA said.

Currently, field trials are being conducted for GM cotton, before the government gives nod for commercialisation. The field trials are necessary to develop region-specific seeds, which can later be made available to farmers.

In addition to advocating adoption of GM cotton, AFA has suggested imparting training to 50,000 youth and women so they can get employment in textile and garment units. Such measures would increase the coountry’s revenue from textile industry to Sh200 billion by 2022 from the current Sh35 billion, AFA said. F2F

Did you know……..

The Tudor Ruff

While modified versions of the Tudor ruff can still be spotted on today’s runways from time to time, the original version was layered, suffocating, and enormous. This relic of the Elizabethan era came into fashion during the reign of Elizabeth I, who favored versions made of expensive fine linen. While it may be a trend worn to frame the face and obscure the décolletage, it was also impossibly unwieldy and difficult to wear, especially as more exaggerated versions required metal suspension lining to keep the ruffs puffed out.