Newsletter No 37 /3 October 2025

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StitchedByInga reveals Spring/Summer 2025/26 collection

StitchedByInga founder Inga Sebata. Image supplied

StitchedByInga, the local fashion brand founded by Inga Sebata, marked a major milestone with its first-ever runway show, hosted in collaborative partnership with Expressions: The Escape, a platform dedicated to celebrating South African creativity.

The show unveiled its Frost to Fabulous Spring/Summer 2025/26 collection, a versatile line designed to move effortlessly through the many dimensions of modern life.

In an emotional moment, Sebata took to the runway to thank her family and loyal clients, reflecting on the brand’s journey from its beginnings in her kid’s bedroom, to working out of a garage, and finally establishing its own workspace.

“This collection and this show represent so much more than fashion to me. It’s a reminder of where I’ve come from and how far belief, resilience, and community can take us. Every stitch tells a story, and today I am deeply grateful to my family and clients who have been part of this journey since day one,” said Sebata.

The Frost to Fabulous SS25/26 collection embodies StitchedByInga’s core vision of versatility and empowerment. From sophisticated corporate wear that speaks to ambition, to relaxed casuals designed for everyday comfort, and statement social pieces that command attention, the collection demonstrates the brand’s ability to cater to diverse lifestyles with effortless style.

Image supplied

The partnership with Expressions provided the perfect backdrop, aligning StitchedByInga with a movement that celebrates art, culture, and creative excellence in South Africa. Together, the event spotlighted the power of collaboration in amplifying local talent.

This landmark show solidifies StitchedByInga as a brand to watch on the South African fashion scene, with a promise of bold innovations and impactful storytelling still to come.

South African Fashion Week Student Competition: Shaping the Future of Fashion

South African Fashion Week (SAFW) collaborates with 24 fashion colleges and universities nationwide to host its annual Student Competition for final-year students.  Launched in 2006, this prestigious platform is now in its 19th year, identifying and nurturing top talent at the very start of their careers.

With a strong focus on creativity and innovation, the competition became South Africa’s first student design competition to introduce sustainability criteria, aligning with SAFW’s sustainable fashion objectives.  Each year, students are challenged to merge originality, craftsmanship, and environmental responsibility, bridging academic training with the realities of the creative fashion design industry.

For the 2025 edition, students were tasked to design a size-34 shirt in 100 % cotton, transformed through techniques such as dyeing, pleating, distressing, or embroidery.  Entries were judged on innovation, aesthetics, sustainability, and marketability.

SAFW, in collaboration with Hyde Park Corner, will host the 2025 Student Competition Exhibition in their prestigious Centre Court. Seventeen students will showcase outstanding emerging talent and fresh creative energy shaping the future of South African fashion.

Up to date, the SAFW Student Competition has launched notable careers. Jacques Bam, winner in 2018, was a 2019 New Talent finalist.  In 2021, he was part of the Fashion Bridges – I Ponti Della Moda project, a collaboration between the Italian Embassy, SAFW, and Milan Fashion Week and in 2023, he exhibited in Milan through a collaboration with A-Propós, Milan Fashion Week, and SA Fashion Week. In 2024, Lente Lubbinge of STADIO School of Fashion won with a zero-waste draping design, underscoring the event’s commitment to sustainable fashion.

Year after year, the SA Fashion Week continues to nurture emerging designers, giving them industry exposure, professional recognition, and a springboard to local and international opportunities. It stands as a key driver of South Africa’s creative fashion economy, proving that the future of sustainable fashion starts here.

“Hyde Park Corner’s collaboration with SAFW’s Student Competition celebrates the future of fashion empowering young designers with visibility, cultural relevance, and meaningful connections within the world of sustainable fashion.”  Sheree McHafffie – Marketing Executive for Hyde Park Corner.

Exhibition Dates: 24 – 28 October 2025

Venue: Hyde Park Corner, Centre Court

A century of style: Foschini marks 100-year milestone

By Celeste Martin

Founded in 1925, the brand has grown into a household name and a cornerstone of the country’s retail landscape.

The Foschini Group (TFG) is marking its 100th anniversary this year, celebrating a journey that began with a single store in Johannesburg in 1925. 

Founded by American entrepreneur George Rosenthal, the retailer quickly gained popularity by bringing Northern Hemisphere fashion to South African consumers.

Today, TFG spans 23 countries, operates over 5,000 stores, and employs more than 50,000 people globally.

Lewis, whose family took over the business in the 1950s, reflected on the company’s evolution from a family-run business into a global retail player.

He credits the company’s long-standing values, investment in local manufacturing, and early embrace of e-commerce through its Bash app as key drivers of continued growth. 

Despite no longer being family-run, Lewis said TFG remains rooted in the people-first values instilled by his grandfather and father, values that have earned customer loyalty across generations.

“Of course, we’re in business to make a profit and pay dividends and do all of the financial things that businesses must do. But at the heart of it is a philosophy about people, about culture, about values, that make TFG the place that people want to come to, want to work at.”

– Michael Lewis, Chairperson – The Foschini Group

“Most organisations say that they put the customer first – most people say that – very seldom though does that really translate into practice…We really do understand that the customer pays everybody: pays our wages, secures our employment, secures the future of the company’s finances. If you do not put your customer first, whether that is offering them the right fashions, or the right products or the right service, or dealing with them courteously…you will fail over time.”

– Michael Lewis, Chairperson- The Foschini Group  

Obscure text additions sometimes added to clothing labels. Apparently, there can be secret messages too!

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