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5.4 China’s entry into high-end fashion design A <strong>report</strong> released in April 2006 by the London-based trends specialists Worth Global Style Network (WGSN), which analyses and researches the fashion and style industry, identified a new player in the global design intensive industry which could have adverse effects on the South African market. The <strong>report</strong> stated that China could become a powerful force on the global fashion stage. With China’s dominance of the apparel market through low labour costs, it could produce brands that may become “global brands in the near future” that are affordable and trendy. The key to China’s entry into the market is through “fast fashion”, said Roger Tredre, editor- in-chief of WSGN. By this, he means the creation and manufacture of very small runs for key stores to “either test the market or simply create a buzz of excitement on the part of the consumer” (Jiang, 2006). A statement from South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry in May 2006, announcing its draft agreement with China to restrict imports into South Africa, indicated that China would begin to focus on “more high-quality textiles and clothing, as this would reduce direct competition against producers of lower-quality goods” (Fabricius, 2006). This prospect is highly problematic for the local clothing and textile industry, and specifically for locally designed content. While it is understandable that the government and other stakeholders should seek mechanisms to protect the lower sector of the clothing and textile industry, which has been the hardest hit by Chinese imports, by encouraging China to focus on the higher-quality products will exert enormous pressure on South Africa’s fledging fashion design industry, which exists mainly to produce high-quality products made by local designers. This move would therefore solve no problems; indeed, the negotiators of this agreement would only achieve the shifting of the problem from one end of the market to another. This scenario raises a number of important questions to be addressed by key industry members; intelligent, transparent and participatory initiatives are needed to counter the likely threat posed by China’s proposed entry into this sector of the market. It also signals a dire warning to South African designers and related stakeholders not to be complacent by relying on government protection for their area of production, as the clothing and textile sector has done in the past. If not, South Africa could see its design industry swamped by these niche-focused Chinese imports. 54
There is much active promotion of locally designed content, but - as was highlighted in the interviews with various designers and fashion magazine editors, - the rhetoric around such support is not being manifested in the form of tangible action. It is vital that all the bodies and individuals involved in backing South African design come together to agree on demonstrable indicators of elevating awareness of, and demand for, local designs and brands, with formal monitoring and evaluation techniques implemented to reinforce such commitment. 55
Page 2 and 3:
Declaration This study represents t
Page 4 and 5: Abstract A fundamental change in th
Page 6 and 7: 8.10 Comments on the Clothing Indus
Page 8 and 9: CHAPTER ONE Introduction A Sicilian
Page 10 and 11: esearch on the global clothing and
Page 12 and 13: 2.2 The Global Industry - post-2005
Page 14 and 15: they are starting to go back home,
Page 16 and 17: Fashion is acknowledged as a vital
Page 18 and 19: fashion designers cope with these u
Page 20 and 21: natural fibres: wool and cotton; ot
Page 22 and 23: By the 1950s, Durban was the specia
Page 24 and 25: Lu Jean Clothing, closed its operat
Page 26 and 27: Due to South Africa being a middle-
Page 28 and 29: pivotal role in sustaining and deve
Page 30 and 31: This table shows that there are far
Page 32 and 33: Late in 2004, SACTWU reported that
Page 34 and 35: Basic Conditions of Employment Act
Page 36 and 37: environments, the erratic payment o
Page 38 and 39: A feature that is advantageous to C
Page 40 and 41: (Mokopanele, 2006). Deputy Minister
Page 42 and 43: Figure Three Profits before tax R m
Page 44 and 45: Further import figures collaborate
Page 46 and 47: share the space, none showed any in
Page 48 and 49: CHAPTER FIVE The South African Fash
Page 50 and 51: eiterated the need for local manufa
Page 52 and 53: women owners of the South African l
Page 56 and 57: 6.1 Introducing the Value Chain CHA
Page 58 and 59: developed. Apparel operations can u
Page 60 and 61: “ripple effects back into manufac
Page 62 and 63: Rogerson endorses this view thus: T
Page 64 and 65: in their designs. Embellishment als
Page 66 and 67: een very little formal research on
Page 68 and 69: The owner of a new retail outlet in
Page 70 and 71: critical resource for profiling Dur
Page 72 and 73: 8.1 Introducing the Designers CHAPT
Page 74 and 75: In addition, they have not embraced
Page 76 and 77: from international magazines and ev
Page 78 and 79: Peter Bosman (Interview: 3/7/06) Bo
Page 80 and 81: Another critical success factor is
Page 82 and 83: with fabric, and colour co-ordinati
Page 84 and 85: dictated by the buyers. This behavi
Page 86 and 87: to protect their own business inter
Page 88 and 89: clothing designs, and questions how
Page 90 and 91: manufactured off-shore and resellin
Page 92 and 93: Iqbal (Interview, 18/7/06) was outr
Page 94 and 95: These events run concurrently betwe
Page 96 and 97: support from buyers for retail outl
Page 98 and 99: formulate collective approaches to
Page 100 and 101: can advertise their latest designs
Page 102 and 103: due to their ability to manufacture
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and textile suppliers need to focus
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With regard to suppliers and the ma
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divisive environment prevails in th
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9.2 Suppliers Policy Recommendation
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9.5 Cluster Initiatives The cluster
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would also create business opportun
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shackled to either the large retail
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Appendix One Letter by the research
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endorsement by economic giants such
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Primary Interviews with Designers S
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"There should also be more engageme
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References Ascol, Nina. 2004. The G
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Fakude, Gordon. 2000. ‘Informalis
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Naidu, Sanusha. 2005. ‘South Afri
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Vlok, Etienne. 2006. ‘The Textile
Page 134 and 135:
Robbins, Tom. 2006. ‘SA fashion d
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