Newsletter No 47/6 December 2024
This is our last newsletter for 2024 and with it we want to thank you again for your support.
We will still be working on the Sourcing Directory for the coming year for another week and then continue to do so at the beginning of the new year.
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South Africa and France collaborate to understand the South African fashion value chain
Image supplied
The French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) has partnered with the National Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) to provide a forum for experts who represent various fashion subsectors in South Africa to explore topics that pertain to the current state of South Africa’s fashion value chain.
Fashion Forward: Industry Development Dialogues, brought together French and local fashion experts and representatives from across South Africa to discuss how to collaborate to support local businesses in fashion and provide sector specific input into the implementation of the South African Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) Master Plan and support network development and cooperation between the French and South African industries.
Arnaud Roux, deputy head of mission at the French Embassy in South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi, opened the dialogues, recognising that the cultural and creative industries are key contributors to the economic and social development of South Africa.
DSAC in partnership with IFAS aims to develop a deeper understanding of the South African fashion value chain and how to better assist those who are struggling to build businesses in the sector.
Dr Cynthia Stella Khumalo, acting director-general at DSAC believes that “bringing stakeholders together in an intentional way will deepen understanding of the needs of the sector and begin to chart the way forward for South Africa’s fashion sector to work together to grow local businesses.”
The creative industries contribute more than 3% to our GDP and employ many young people, people with disabilities and people in the informal economy and yet there is a need for more support.
In their ongoing work with the cultural and creative industries, DSAC have previously successfully convened multi stakeholder dialogues in the animation and gaming sectors that aim to inform policy and drive development.
In line with IFAS’ Création Africa and True Fashion programmes, preliminary discussions with a broad range of experts from across the fashion value chain show that sustainability and market readiness are key topics that need to be tackled with urgency.
In panel discussion around sustainability in fashion and the need to develop South African practice including Jacendra Naidoo, Louis Orlianges and Jackie May, Boitumelo Pooe explained “consumers who buy sustainable fashion choose to align with their core values such as priortisation, planning and habits over exclusivity, functionality and aesthetics”.
It is therefore important to invest in consumer education.
The two-day programme was supported by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. French fashion practitioners who are known for innovation, craftmanship and market-oriented strategies, namely Frédérique Gérardin, Amedi Nacer and Louis Orlianges, were invited to take a deep dive into the reality of practitioners working in the sector alongside South African industry representatives and policy makers.
Both partners are committed to engaging the fashion ecosystem further as well as other creative sub sectors to develop future projects to support the cultural and creative industries.
Lectra’s TextileGenesis & AbTF to enhance traceability of CmiA fibre
Pic: CmIA @Martin J. Kielmann for Aid by Trade Foundation.
TextileGenesis, a Lectra group company, and the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) are proud to announce the continuation of their successful partnership to further enhance traceability for Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) verified fiber. This new collaboration aims to reinforce supply chain transparency and drive CmiA’s commitment to sustainable and ethical cotton production.
CmiA, one of the world’s leading standards for sustainable cotton, works to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Africa while protecting the environment. With TextileGenesis’ pioneering traceability platform, this collaboration provides brands with unparalleled visibility of the origin and processing of CmiA verified raw materials, ensuring end-to-end traceability.
By using advanced Fibercoins technology, TextileGenesis enables complete traceability from cotton bale to finished products. This continuation of their collaboration builds on the success of the previous collaboration between TextileGenesis and AbTF on The Good Cashmere Standard, focused on enhancing traceability, which was launched earlier in 2024. The extension of this partnership to CmiA further strengthens both organizations’ efforts towards scalable and impactful sustainable practices in the textile industry.
“At Cotton made in Africa, we highly value transparency and strive to create meaningful change for both nature and farming communities. By making CmiA cotton traceable through TextileGenesis, we empower brands already utilizing TextileGenesis to not only source ethically but also benefit from established tracking tools in their business practices. This collaboration promotes long-term sustainability for farmers, nature, and transparency while offering practical options for implementing traceability requirements within the industry,” said Christian Barthel, head of Business Development at the Aid by Trade Foundation.
The cooperation between TextileGenesis and Cotton made in Africa empowers brands to confidently authenticate the origins of CmiA verified cotton, ensuring accurate sustainability claims while improving annual reporting. In addition, brands using TextileGenesis will have access to the industry’s largest supplier network, enabling them to track their entire production ecosystem, gaining comprehensive visibility across their entire supply chain — from fiber producers to third-party auditors.
Through this new partnership, retailers and brands can benefit from two established tracking systems that provide transparency for CmiA-verified cotton from field to fashion, offering great flexibility in tracking their cotton. Those already collaborating with TextileGenesis benefit from using a single platform to manage traceability across multiple material sustainability standards, including Cotton made in Africa. This streamlined approach improves efficiency and creates synergies across the supply chain. Others can continue to rely on CmiA’s own established SCOT system to monitor CmiA-verified cotton throughout their entire textile supply chain.
It is notable that 90% of material sustainability standards, including CmiA, have adopted TextileGenesis as their traceability backbone. This adoption highlights TextileGenesis as a single, easy-to-access platform for traceability across a variety of certified materials, making it the industry standard for ensuring authenticity and compliance across diverse certification systems.
“We are excited to expand our collaboration with the Aid by Trade Foundation and bring our cutting-edge technology to Cotton made in Africa. This partnership empowers brands to ensure the integrity and sustainability of their supply chains, while also supporting the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Africa,” said Amit Gautam, founder and CEO of TextileGenesis. F2F
Rex Trueform Group Limited – Resignation of Chief Financial Officer and changes to the social and ethics committee
Shareholders are advised that Mr Damien Franklin has resigned as the Chief Financial Officer of the Company
in order to pursue other opportunities.
Mr Franklin’s notice of resignation applies to all his roles and responsibilities within the Rex Trueform group
and is effective from with effect from 30 November 2024.
Rex Trueform is in the process of appointing a new chief financial officer and shareholders will be advised of
this appointment in due course.
Following his resignation, Damien will step down as a member of the social and ethics committee. A further
announcement in respect of the reconstitution of this committees will be released on SENS in due course.
The board would like to thank Damien for his years of valuable service in these roles and wishes him well in
his future endeavours.
29 November 2024
People who lived in the Middle Ages would often pay their taxes with clothing or materials.
Each year, 7 million tons of materials and textiles are trashed. Despite all the efforts to recycle more, only 12% of the material is actually used again.
Marilyn Monroe owned a dress encrusted with 6,000 rhinestones, which sold for $1.26 million at auction in 1999.
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