Newsletter No 26 /18 July 2025
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AllFashion Sourcing 2025 — A Landmark Celebration of African Fashion and Innovation
AllFashion Sourcing Cape Town 2025 wrapped up last week with resounding success, marking its 8th edition as a definitive business and creative platform for Africa’s growing textile and fashion industry. Hosted at the CTICC from 8–10 July, this year’s event elevated the intersection of African creativity, sustainable innovation, and global sourcing, bringing together an energetic mix of visionaries, buyers, designers, and manufacturers from across the continent and beyond.
A Global-Local Showcase of Possibilities
The event welcomed visitors and exhibitors from over 10 countries, creating an electric atmosphere of curated exhibition space. From sustainable textile solutions to trendsetting collections, exhibitors represented the full fashion value chain — from fabric and trims to final garments, manufacturing technology and more.
What truly set this year apart was the sharp focus on localisation, ethical production, and innovation. AFS continues to serve not only as a trade fair, but as a hub for transformation in fashion — echoing South Africa’s broader ambitions of becoming a competitive and responsible player in the global apparel industry.
Fringe Programme: Bold Ideas, Critical Conversations
This year’s Fringe Programme stood out for its high-calibre speakers and actionable dialogue. Key moments included:
These sessions didn’t just inform — they challenged attendees to rethink how fashion can be made, consumed, and valued.
Young Designers Competition: Future Talent in the Spotlight
In collaboration with ENS the 2025 Young Designers Competition lit up the stage with creativity rooted in sustainability. Entrants reimagined the future of fashion through a uniquely South African lens — weaving cultural heritage, eco-consciousness, and innovation into wearable art.
The competition culminated in a dramatic runway show featuring boundary-pushing designs. Ruan Goosen took home the top prize, a package valued at R265,000, while Tapiwa Tracey Gwizo claimed the runner-up award and a cash prize of R5,000. Their work is a testament to the future of South African fashion — bold, purposeful, and ready for the world stage.
AFS Range Debut & Business Matchmaking
AFS 2025 also saw the debut of the new AFS Range, curated by fashion director Cyril Naicker — showcasing trend-led looks that blended commercial viability with artistic flair.
Hundreds of business matchmaking meetings were scheduled across the three days, underlining AFS’s role as a highly productive business marketplace. Buyers, suppliers, and creatives connected, collaborated, and laid the groundwork for deals that will ripple across the region’s fashion industry in months to come.
Looking Ahead
Feedback from attendees reflected the event’s growing reputation:
“A good mix of exhibitors, insightful talks and excellent organisation.” — Exhibitor, SADFA
“One of Africa’s most elaborated, well-represented and well-attended trade shows.” — Lindy, Visitor
As the final lights dimmed and the last stitches were sewn, one thing was clear: AFS is not just a sourcing show — it’s a movement. A movement towards sustainable growth, inclusive representation, and African excellence in fashion.
Retail sales maintain solid growth in May, driven by strong clothing demand
By Jana Marx Economics Correspondent
Picture: 123RF/Chris Putnam
Monthly momentum cools after April’s rebound
Retail trade sales posted another strong performance in May, highlighting resilient consumer appetite for discretionary purchases even as the pace of growth eased slightly from April’s brisk rebound.
Measured in real terms and adjusted for inflation, retail sales rose 4.2% year on year in May, following the 5.2% increase recorded in April.
The latest data from Stats SA showed growth remained firmly supported by strength in clothing and general dealers.
Retailers in textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods were the standout performers, with sales rising 12.5% year-on-year and contributing 2.1 percentage points to the overall increase. General dealers also posted a solid performance, recording 3.6% growth and contributing 1.6 percentage points to headline retail growth.
On a month-on-month seasonally adjusted basis, retail trade sales edged 0.1% higher compared with April.
For the three months ended May, retail sales increased 3.5% relative to the same period a year earlier.
Once again, the largest contributions came from clothing retailers, which rose 9.5%, adding 1.5 percentage points, and general dealers, which grew 2.8%, contributing 1.3 percentage points.
Standard Bank Group head of SA macroeconomic research Elna Moolman said there were a couple of tailwinds supporting the consumer.
“Wage settlements generally remain above inflation, with inflation particularly low over the last couple of months, partly because of lower fuel prices, with consumers benefiting from fuel prices that were nearly 15% lower on a year on year basis in May this year,” she said.
Moolman noted consumers are also benefiting from lower interest rates, and their data suggests there was a renewed increase in the two-part retirement withdrawals in the first part of the new fiscal year.
“We remain reasonably constructive about the outlook for consumer spending growth in the coming months, but in real or inflation adjusted terms it may moderate somewhat given the expected rise in inflation.”
On a seasonally adjusted basis, sales were flat in the latest three months compared with the preceding three-month period.
Within this period, food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores declined 2.2%, subtracting 0.2 percentage points, while clothing retailers eased 0.4%, reducing growth by 0.1 percentage points.
The largest positive contributions to quarter-on-quarter growth came from “other” retailers, which increased 1.4%; hardware, paint and glass retailers, up 0.7%; and general dealers, rising 0.2%. 
Discover sustainable textile chemical management with SGS SMART Cares
‘Digital chemical management for textiles with SGS SMART Cares’ takes place on July 31
Geneva (July 14, 2025) – SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, is delighted to host a complimentary webinar, ‘Digital chemical management for textiles with SGS SMART Cares,’ taking place on July 31, 2025, with sessions at 10:00 am and 4:00 pm (GMT +1:00). This event will be suitable for suppliers, such as wet processing plants using chemical formulations, and brands looking to adopt sustainable chemical management.
Chemical-intensive processes in the textile industry, including dyeing, finishing and printing, are under growing scrutiny from consumers, regulators and brands. Complying with evolving regulations and meeting stakeholder expectations requires robust, transparent and collaborative chemical management practices across the supply chain.
This webinar introduces SGS SMART Cares, a next-generation digital platform developed to streamline chemical data management. Presenters Daniel Zhao and Brenda Chiu will demonstrate how the platform enables users to:
Build a comprehensive chemical database with supplier, inventory and usage records
Screen chemical substances for restricted or hazardous content
Develop substitution strategies and generate ZDHC Performance InCheck reports
Facilitate collaboration between suppliers and brands
SGS is committed to providing one-stop chemical data validation and management services, delivering a more transparent and sustainable model for the textile and footwear supply chain. SGS SMART Cares is a key part of this mission, empowering safer working environments, simplified compliance and accelerated access to global markets.
Find out more and register here
HomeChoice – name change finalisation
Shareholders were advised that the special resolution relating to the Change of Name has been approved by the Mauritian Registrar and that the Change of Name is therefore unconditional.
HomeChoice will be Weaver Fintech Ltd. Record date for change of name 25 July 2025.
Classifieds:-
Enin cc 083 600 4293
We are seeking experienced and passionate agents to represent our high-quality denim/twill fabrics in key markets across Africa.
Obscure text additions sometimes added to clothing labels. Apparently, there can be secret messages too!
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