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“half-naked models.” Both of these respondents agreed that statistical follow-up after
each event is needed in order to evaluate “the financial returns and added value the
Fashion Weeks offer the designers” (Interview, 22/6/06a and 22/6/06b).
Ms Gowing (Interview, 22/6/06b) remarked that “South African Fashion Weeks are not
considered as business opportunities, but rather as one big party”, whereas overseas, the
focus is on the inherent financial return from, and optimal profitability through, these
events. The owner of a private boutique (Interview, 9/6/06) felt that the Fashion Weeks
were not much more than a playground for “egocentric designers” and that the events do
not stimulate real development for the clothing sector. This respondent also commented
that if the government were serious about developing and establishing a vibrant industry,
they should collaborate with the corporate sector in underwriting only one premiere
Fashion Week.
To obtain a retrospective view of the 2006 Durban Week, as well as the 2006 Durban
Designer Collection from the point of view of the designers that took part, I disseminated a
questionnaire via e-mail.
A total of 66 e-mails were sent to all the designers who took part in the Durban 2006 MTN
Fashion Week. Only 12% responded to the questionnaire, while a further 10% of the e-mails
provided on the Durban Fashion Week website proved to be inoperative. Eighty percent
of the designers who responded felt that the Durban Fashion Week helped in promoting
local content and local designers to South African consumers. Regarding levels of support
for the Fashion Week by consumers, 50% felt the response had been moderate. A total of
70% of the designers had established new and prospective customers (individual
consumers wanting to place orders), while a further 50% said that individual consumers
had placed orders with them on the basis of what they had seen at the Fashion Week.
Responding to a question relating to input from the government towards promotion of
independent designers through more fashion events and other such mechanisms, 70%
responded that it was poor. With regard to competition, 80% felt that competition from
Asian imports was affecting their business, while 70% said that design-copying by formal
retailers was prevalent, and 10% said that they had experienced competition from other
designers replicating their work. A total of 80% of the respondents wish to see more fashion
events, while 90% said that it was imperative to have a mechanism of quality control for
entrants into fashion events. Just over 90% of the respondents said that they would support
a body that would provide training for fashion designers in business skills, exporting and
promotion of their designs, while all said that they would value a designers’ convention to
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