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due to their ability to manufacture designer wear at affordable prices. By this the
respondent means that heavily embellished designs that consisted of a lot of delicate work
such as beading etc was cheaper in India than if they relied on local beaders. The
respondent (one of the partnership) explained that they had tried having their designs
manufactured in China, but discovered that some of the designs they had commissioned
had being copied by the Chinese manufacturers and sold independently in the United
Kingdom and Australia.
Relating to their experiences with local textile suppliers, this respondent, the owner of Big
Blue (Interview, 9/6/06) felt that local merchants are “inflexible” in not allowing designers to
order smaller quantities. His observations on the keys to successful design practice were the
need for business knowledge, acknowledgment of boutique-owners’ feedback on
customer responses to their designs, and deeper understanding of their markets; “Younger
start-up designers in this country expect to be spoon-fed and have very little business
sense.” Whereas for those designers that are established he experienced no problems
when it came to service, delivery, quality or design content. He felt that the government
should clamp down hard on illegal garments being “dumped” on South African shores, as
these under-priced items create unfair competition for the smaller, private fashion outlets.
One boutique-owner from Cape Town who obtained finance from her family to set up her
business (Interview, 20/6/06) reiterated the problems faced in dealing with designers. She
felt that her business, and the industry more generally, suffered because designers do not
keep to delivery dates, and that once she realised that her efforts to maintain business
agreements with designers were one-sided, she “surrendered and stopped chasing the
designers.” She now sources garments offshore so that she can “fill the gaps” in her shop.
This respondent wishes to export locally designed clothing, and has established tentative
overseas contacts, but is fearful that if local designers “cannot supply a small boutique,
how will they fulfill a larger order for the overseas market?” She felt that there was a need
for designers to form partnerships with independent consultants who could support the
marketing and management of their businesses, freeing the designers to focus on their
creative work. The respondent felt that ready-to-wear fashion events, marketed directly to
buyers for formal retail outlets as well as independent buyers from private boutiques, should
be conceptualised and launched. She believed that such events would compel designers
to understand and concentrate on the under-developed local ready-to-wear market.
As for fabric supplies, the same respondent reiterated the view that textile suppliers should
re-evaluate their business and production methods to meet the demands of the
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