Fitting in – slavish, sensible or sensational?

Seasonal change cues fashion media editors to present the public with “must-have” and “no-no” listings, which, no matter how individualistic or judicious we might think we are, subtly compel us to reconsider the stock in our private wardrobes.

In these times of economic strain and budget adjustments, does “fitting in” with rapidly changing fashion cycles not pose challenges to designers and consumers alike? Are we prisoners of fashion dictates, or could we consider co-creating new looks with minimal expense? How can local fashion designers sustain themselves by working around and within global and local market forces?

Through aggressive marketing, our individual identity can become effaced by homogenised clothing, a veneer that suggests we are part of a recognisable whole. Trend forecasters, retailers and brand conglomerates launching new styles, fabrics, cuts and colours stoke the coals of peer pressure that conditions us to be seen in the latest ranges. As social beings, we are construed as a collective commodity travelling in a continuum of design renovation that is dictated by a few but embraced by the masses, often with little thought to suitability or personal imagination.

Being seen in the right brand wearing the "in" label of a particular designer neutralises our individuality and leads to a contradiction of the purpose of fashion: individual style portraying human uniqueness; instead, we become fashion clones.

By conforming to seasonal trends, are we not impeding the innovation and growth of young fashion designers emerging in the market? There are a few designers who have created distinctive aesthetics and have steadily built a brand following. These looks are not confined to the examples seen on catwalks at Fashion Weeks events; idiosyncratic, semi-mass-produced, wearable garments are also available.

The old saying, "catch them when they are young" can be applied to fashion education. For example, when experts visit fashion colleges and advise students on the latest European trends - as if these are the unassailably essential forms of good design and as such, critical to design success - are we not diluting their imaginative resources?

Both student and established designers are required to be in touch with global fashion directions, but is it a prerequisite to emulate these trends without any re-interpretation? The colours for 2009 are, according to the style forecasters, moving away from metallic finishes to a more earthy, subdued colour palette; ripped denim might resurge, and for younger women, appropriation of men's jeans (known as "The Boyfriend Jeans") will be in vogue and Deep-V-T-shirts and jerseys could be the 2009 new style for men.

We need to respect the genius of our learner designers, and support them in steering away from reliance on European trends. This information is available for reference, so rather than delivering lectures on trend templates, their curricula should cover instruction in sourcing, assimilating, and interpreting the data, with a view to redefining trends in the local context and according to their own design sensibilities.

Upcoming generations of South African designers can consult a wealth of historical fashion approaches to inspire new nuances for their ranges, not only through their designs but by the way they market and retail their creations. It is my sense that the edicts filtering down to young designers and into the consumer psyche of what can or cannot be worn should be challenged. It is time for fashion revolution and evolution.

The late 1950s and early 60s are a good example of this: young, energetic, visionary designers kicked against prevailing market prescriptions, sweeping aside hidebound retailing and manufacturing methods. Interestingly, even though the establishment was outraged at the audacity of these young artists, the two systems found equilibrium and co-operated in the realisation that the market was big enough to accommodate the diversity.

This period saw the rebirth of the boutique as a way of retailing fast, limited-edition, highly individualistic fashion. Led by Mary Quant, this fashion revolution saw new designers enter and disappear from the fashion scene as rapidly as new styles appeared in the boutiques. The survivors were those who developed solid business strategies and used experts to market their labels and outlets. Quant saw that the only way to thrive and move up the fashion value-chain was to develop a system of manufacturing that could produce limited ranges of quality garments in a timely and cost-efficient manner, and in so doing, she established business partnerships with CMTs and textile manufacturers who were willing and able to meet her needs.

In 1971, it was estimated that in the United Kingdom alone, there were 15 000 boutiques doing an annual business remit of £300-million. There was fierce competition between the boutiques, but this fostered an ethos of mutual respect and operational etiquette flourished in this sector. Each boutique offered a retail outlet for designers, and these outlets evolved into distinguished, quaint retail oases, establishing a reputation for a particular fashion flavour for a discerning market segment.

The boutiques offered an ideal opportunity for the supplier designers to interact with customers, get critical feedback and rapidly adapt, innovate and supply updated designs. They did not wait for received wisdom from textile manufacturers or trend forecasters. Instead, they created their own trends, and styles, allowing both young and old the space to explore and mix a variety of affordable, high-quality styled clothing to create their own personal fashion statements.

The key to fashion revolution is the alignment between CMTs, textile suppliers, independent designers and the financial sector supporting boutiques that present viable business plans.

South Africa’s fashion sector should spearhead this alignment process, by understanding global trends - much as a musician masters fundamental techniques and genres - and then improvising on these to recalibrate the degree and trajectory of fashion development along new lines of excellence.

Written by Renato Palmi

Fashioning fads, functions and fearlessness

In the course of human development, fashion trends have mutated in line with changing social and economic contexts. Every decade, approaches to dressing have adapted to reflect prevailing political, psychological and environmental conditions, movements and interests. Bemusing styles propagated the process of fashion development, fostering innovation and signalling the disappearance of some design features – only for some to re-emerge centuries later.

As with any aesthetic epoch in history, our current responses to avant-garde styles appearing on the streets, or to fashion-art launched on international catwalks, range from shocked resistance to delighted amazement.

However, it is not phenomenal in itself for individual or groups of designers to storm through the boundaries of accepted norms, so establishing iconic identities and labels. Nor is our post-modern enlightenment always entirely new - antecedents for apparel rebellion can be traced back far earlier than we might realise.

According to fashion folklore, a trend of wearing less and less was orchestrated in 18th Century France by Mesdames Racamier and Tallient. One day in 1796, two young women took to the Paris streets in attire that was arresting, so to speak - one in a length of sheer gauze swathed across her body, the other appearing topless. Transparent clothing, worn without underwear and adorned with jewellery across the thighs and breasts, did not last long, though, as the moral authorities of the time apprehended any women who dared to wear such revealing garb.

The nobility of bygone eras also played a part in fashion evolution – such as Lord Raglan’s famous sleeve, and the cardigan being named after Lord Cardigan. The Duke of Windsor (King Edward VIII after his abdication) brought his distinctive necktie-knot into common usage, and was known for popularising turn-ups on trousers. The creasing down the front and back of trousers is credited to royalty. King Edward VII is said to have ignited the practice of unbuttoning the lower portion of a waistcoat, and the emergence of long coats is attributed to King Louis XIII wishing to mask his bandy legs.

The naming of fabrics has always been an important element in textile manufacturers’ marketing strategy, seeking to capture the sensory appeal created by the textile's colour and texture, and to resonate with contemporary lifestyles. Designers working with the new fabrics had to be inspired by such names. In the 18th Century, some odd examples emerged in this context: "Sick Spaniard”, “Unhappy Friend”, “Poisoned Ape”, “Sewerage”, Small-Pox” and “Carmelite's Paunch”. In 1961, a fabric dye called "Congealed Blood" became one of the colours most favoured by UK fashion designers.

Fashion concepts have often been constructed around weaponry and even used to hide weapons. A South African firm manufactured a brassiere designed to hold a small pistol. In 1959, a British tailor made suits with a "cosh-pocket” for local teenagers to carry a baton on their person. Teenagers in Glasgow during the 1920s and 30s embedded razor blades in the edges of their peaked caps. Men's double-breasted coats, with the left flap buttoned over the right, derive from 18th Century and earlier European styling to accommodate swords, and the buttoning of tunics was implemented to prevent the hilt of the sword from catching on the coat when drawn.

Wearing pants below the hips, exposing the top of the buttocks or underwear, is not unique to contemporary urban style. In 1964, the unzipped-trouser look was introduced in women’s clothing: shorts were unzipped in the front to reveal bikini underwear as an erotic teaser. The word “bikini” comes from the Bikini Atoll, the site of a nuclear weapon test – clearly analogous with shock value; it was reasoned that the excitement of the bikini, co-conceived by French engineer Luis Reard and fashion designer Jacques Heim in 1946, would be likened to a nuclear blast. Even the style of the modern bikini is not a modern concept: archaeologists have discovered murals in Sicily depicting women in the years 286-305 wearing items of skimpy clothing that we would currently identify as bikinis.

Scented socks and shirts were another novel idea, first launched in the 1950s. A Scotsman invented the masculine-scented shirt in 1953 as a sensory design feature to attract women. The early 1960s brought scented ties onto the market, offering a selection of pleasant aromas such as Mint, Orange, Strawberry and Leather. However, scented apparel could not compete with the innovative boom in male toiletries, and so faded from focus.

Fashion design has also been influenced by interest groups seeking to control the presentation of a “respectable” female image, believing that they had moral authority over codes of dress. Historical artefacts show that women wore bikini-type outfits while exercising, so today’s sportswear and beach-gear is really a reversion to 19th and early 20th and earlier Century costumes.

At least these design forms did not physically harm women or cruelly impede their natural physical motion, as did the corset or the “Bum Roll” (a strange fashion apparatus tied round the hips with a tape to create the illusion of ample buttocks). In the 1940s, the pneumatic brassiere was developed to enhance a small bust.

Pockets did not feature much on woman's clothing until the early 20th Century, but today, military camouflage and “cargo” pants with utility pockets are ubiquitous in women’s streetwear. In the 1930s, a short-lived fashion accessory for women was the knickers-pocket, used to hold a handkerchief.

During the 1950s, a group of French tailors produced a range of suits without pockets, offering instead a shoulder-bag as a menswear accessory; this idea was largely dismissed as impractical. But in the US, the magazine Esquire promoted an American version of the French male shoulder-bag called the "Side-Kick", describing it as a “saddlebag without the horse”. The promotion of the "Side-Kick" did not take off, as men did not want to be seen carrying any bag other than a briefcase.

In this Information Age, though, men and women use a "Side-Kick" of sorts: the backpack is an accessory adopted from the military as a form of everyday wear, and used by students and business executives alike to carry lap-top computers and other items needed to operate a mobile office.

With technology being a major factor influencing the contemporary design of pockets on apparel, fabrics and garments are designed to carry cell-phones, iPods, flash-disks and other wireless communications gadgets such as Global Positioning Systems and radio frequency tags.

Clearly, the future of garment design is in “smart clothing” - blending technology with fashion. But in principle, are we back to the future?

Renato Palmi

New plans for South Africa's clothing industry

The South African clothing industry wage strike may be over however the battle relating to compliance and non-compliance will once again become a contentious issue within the apparel sector. According to news reports the apparel industry wish to make non-compliance a criminal offence. The focus seems to be in non-metropolitan areas. What about non-compliant companies within metro areas? The pressure to pursue companies that are non-compliant cannot be solely dependent on inspectors from the Bargaining Council or the union. The retails that use such companies as suppliers can play a vital role by stopping such procurement. Maybe there needs to be legislation in place to also "penalise" retailers for using non-compliant companies? The undertaking from provincial and local government not to use non-compliant companies must be monitored closely. I think it would be beneficial if a list of non-compliant companies could be made public.

CAPE TOWN — Employers and workers in the clothing industry have combined forces to lobby the government to recriminalise noncompliance with labour legislation.

This is because of the widespread flouting of the law in non-metropolitan areas, where employers pay less than the minimum wage and do not contribute to health scheme funds and provident funds.

The overstretched labour inspectorate has been unable to deal with the issue , which is so acute that compliant companies were being unfairly undercut, chief national negotiator for employer organisations Johann Baard said yesterday.

“Noncompliance in non-metro areas is a massive 80% of all the factories based there, which represent about a third of the total industry in the country. We think recriminalisation of labour legislation (particularly of noncompliance) which existed prior to 1994 will go a long way to address the problem.”

Recriminalisation would mean an offending company could be found guilty by a magisterial court and be penalised.

Baard said the wage differential for a qualified machinist between compliant and noncompliant companies was as high as R250 a week. These noncompliant companies were supplying the top five retailers and undercutting those who were playing by the rules, he said.

Baard said if the trend for companies to relocate to non-metro areas continued at the present rate, about two thirds of the industry would be based outside metropolitan areas in five years’ time. He stressed that the aim was not to eliminate the negotiated wage differential between metro and non-metro areas but to achieve compliance.

The agreement to lobby the government was reached at yesterday’s meeting of the clothing industry’s national bargaining council, where a wage deal was also signed between employers and the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (Sactwu), ending a two-week strike by 55000 workers.

To strengthen the role of the trade union in non-metro areas and assist it in combating noncompliance, the wage agreement includes a closed-shop provision for Sactwu in these areas. Sactwu was also empowered to institute noncompliance proceedings against noncompliant companies and to embark on protected industrial action against them. Furthermore, outsourcing to noncompliant companies would not be allowed in the industry and the parties undertook to enter into agreements with all provincial and local governments to limit their procurement to compliant companies.

Another critical issue for the industry covered by the wage agreement was the high level of absenteeism, especially in the Western Cape, which Baard attributed largely to substance abuse. The parties agreed on a strategy to address this, setting an interim target absenteeism rate of 5% by next September. They agreed that disciplinary action should not be used and that a study would be undertaken to measure the level of absenteeism.

At the meeting, Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel called on business and labour to enter into a longer-term social partnership for growth and decent work to lift the industry out of a slump which has seen the loss of more than 7000 jobs — nearly 11% — in bargaining council employment over the past 12 months.

Business Day: 16/10/09

Patel challenges clothing industry

15 October 2009 - 14:56

Author: Sapa

With the clothing strike settled, the industry had to face up to the bigger challenge of ensuring its own survival, Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel said. He was speaking in Cape Town after employers and union representatives signed an agreement formally ending the nationwide strike by some 55,000 clothing workers. "The realities are that we cannot compete on absolute wage costs with China," he said.

"The reality is, we cannot go back to very high tariff protection of the type seen before the mid-1990s. The reality is we cannot have industrial subsidies for the industry based on the model where you are on permanent life support from government." He said government had introduced a number of measures to support the sector, including some R500 million in either soft loans or grants to modernise the industry.

"I now wish to ask, what in turn will business and labour bring to a new growth strategy for the sector? What government does, alone, cannot transform the industry. It requires you." Patel said the industry held its future in its own hands.

Earlier, representatives of the SA Clothing and Textile Workers Union (Sactwu) and clothing employer organisations signed the strike-breaking agreement. Sactwu general secretary Andre Kriel said it provided for immediate increases of seven to 11.8 percent, depending on job category and geographic location. The increases were worth an annual R128 million, he said. The agreement also sets an absenteeism target of five percent, and says special committees will be set up at each workplace to monitor this.

It says the clothing industry bargaining council will set up a dedicated productivity unit to promote productivity issued in the industry, and will look into the feasibility of a training institute to improve workers' skills. Kriel said the union and employers had come out of the negotiations and strike with a deep respect for each other, and he hoped they could all now turn their attention to issues such as trade and industrial policy.

Negotiator for the employers Johann Baard said that despite the bruising negotiations, employers were committed to re-establishing constructive relations with the union. "We simply have to work together for the industry to survive and grow," he said. The truth was that South African clothing manufacturers were "out-subsidised" by the Chinese. The industry would have to think very hard about creative solutions to bring about a level playing field.

SACTWU signs wage deal

15 OCTOBER 2009

SACTWU SIGNS R128 MILLION CLOTHING INDUSTRY WAGE DEAL
The Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers' Union (SACTWU) and clothing industry employers have today signed the 2009/2010 national wage agreement for the clothing industry. The signing ceremony took place at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Clothing Industry Bargaining Council held earlier today. This now officially brings the national wage strike (which started on 15 September 2009) by 55 000 (fifty five thousand) clothing workers to an official end. The strike was partially suspended when a settlement of the dispute was brokered by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation & Arbitration (CCMA) on 29th September 2009, but continued in some areas such as Botshabelo, Isithebe and QwaQwa until late last week.

The settlement is worth R128 million in increased wages which will be injected into the economy over the duration of the agreement. This is a welcome cash stimulus package for the industry and for the country. Wage increases will range from between 7% to 11.8% per week on the current minimum wage levels, depending on job category and geographic area. In areas such as Botshabelo, QwaQwa and Isithebe where the actual wage paid is much lower, wage increases will range between 18% and 22% per week. Increases will be backdated to 1st September 2009, the date on which the new wage levels were to take effect. Lower paid workers will get higher percentage increases.

The agreement also provides for the establishment of a clothing industry Productivity Institute, a Clothing Industry Training Board to further upskill workers, mechanisms to address non-compliance with the provisions of the industry agreement by some employers and a narrowing of the wage gap between metro area workers and non-metro area workers.

The trade union welcomes the settlement and now calls on its members to return the industry to full productivity as soon possible. SACTWU said "Clothing workers can expect the new wage increases in their pay packets with effect from next week'".

Fashion with a purpose -HIV/AIDS and Fashion

South Africa:

Condoms are fashionable. That's the theme in a competition design students across the country are involved in. Students are encouraged to make fashionable garments from condoms for the competition.

The message organisers are hoping to get across in the process is that using condoms, to prevent the spread of HIV and Aid is a positive trend.

The slogan was coined by the health and design unit at the South African Clothing, Textiles and Worker Union.

Vimrashni Govender, events and information officer at the union's worker health programme, explains that many South African young people have been affected by HIV and Aids.

"We had to find a way in which to disseminate pertinent messages about sexual health, particularly prevention, so that they would be heard.

"The fashion competition... will surely grab the attention of South African youth and get them thinking about condoms in a positive way," she said.

Govender said many storyboard entries complete with business plans had already been received and, once the top 10 had been selected, the students would be handed their share of the 50 000 coloured and flavoured condoms donated by Masculan to begin creating the garments.

The winner, who will be announced on November 7, will receive R30 000 to action his or her business plan.This is an essential outcome of the competition, said Renato Palmi, the KwaZulu-Natal representative for the South African Fashion Designers Institute (Sadfi), a design unit of the union.

"At Safdi we want the youth to start thinking about design as a business, and to start thinking about themselves as designers within the larger industry," says Palmi.

As a registered member of Safdi the winner will be linked with registered manufacturers.

Palmi says: "As a transparent, national support network for designers Safdi is a membership based institute, open to applications from all designers and registered fashion students," adding that, it is vital to understand that this does not mean they will be joining the union.

"Over the years many fashion designers have asked SACTWU to take up their concerns, the union has now decided to provide a platform within its fold for designers to meet and be able to use the organisational capacity of the union to take forward their ideas. Safdi, through its association with the union, will be able to harness the wider power of organised labour," he said.

"This is a means of nurturing, not just the designers, but the industry as a whole," he said.

Published on the web by Tonight on October 5, 2009.

By Omeshnie Naidoo

South Africa implements duties on apparel imports

October 2009

PRESS RELEASE:

SACTWU WELCOMES INCREASE IN DUTIES ON CLOTHING PRODUCTS

The SA Clothing & Textile Workers' Union (SACTWU) welcomes the increase in import duties on certain clothing products, published in today's Government Gazette. The increase follows an application to the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) by SACTWU, submitted in mid-May this year.

In almost all cases, the import duties on these clothing products have been increased from 40% to 45% - the upper level that South Africa has bound with the World Trade Organisation. The increased duties are effective as from today.

SACTWU welcomes the additional protection afforded to local jobs and industrial capacity, especially while the industry is in the midst of an extensive restructuring exercise. Increased duties, like other trade measures, will help to slow down imports and create some space for manufacturers to restructure and ensure the long-term viability of the industry.

While a wholesale increase of all clothing tariffs would have provided the widest assistance to the industry, avoided substitution of products by importers and made the tasks of customs control easier, SACTWU only applied for an increase in the duties of 35 clothing products in an effort to limit the use of trade measures to the absolute minimum.

This increase in duties is part of South Africa's efforts to deal with the impact of the global economic crisis as set out in the Framework for South Africa's Response to the International Economic Crisis, agreed at NEDLAC in February this year. The Framework calls for "... robust use of accepted trade measures to ensure that the crisis does not cause job losses in the real economy..."

This increase in duties is a welcome reverse in government policy, which previously (when Trevor Manual was still Minister of Trade & Industry) reduced tariffs faster and to lower levels than what our WTO obligations required.

International examples have shown South Africa can only successfully grow, create jobs and address alarming levels of inequality and poverty by protecting and growing its manufacturing industry and this increase in duties will assist in this regard.

The union leadership, on behalf of its 85 000 members, would like to extend its appreciation to the Department and Ministry of Trade & Industry, ITAC and the SA Revenue Services for fast-tracking this application, as per the commitment contained in the Framework Response.

Issued by Andre Kriel, SACTWU General Secretary.

See the list click here

SACTWU SUSPENDS WAGE STRIKE IN BOTSHABELO

6th October 09

Last Tuesday evening, SACTWU announced that it had partially suspended its national wage strike by about 55 000 clothing workers, following the adoption of a recommended settlement agreement facilitated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). We specifically pointed out that this strike was suspended in all areas other than Botshabelo and Qwa Qwa for now, where there were still unresolved issues.

We now announce that we have met with the Botshabelo & Thaba 'Nchu Manufacturing Association (BTMA) yesterday, in Botshabelo. Arising from this meeting, the BTMA have provided SACTWU with firm written commitments which now places us in a position to announce that, after 14 working days strike action in the Botshabelo/Thaba 'Nchu area, almost 2 000 clothing workers have returned to work as from today. The BTMA has agreed to the following:

-the average actual weekly wage paid will be increased by 18.7% (wages are still very low and this will help to lift it substantially);

-the increases will be backdated to 1st September 2009;

-the employers will take steps to register the BTMA as an employers' organisation with the Department of Labour;

-the BTMA will pursue a goal for its members to become compliant with the legal wage levels and they will partcipate in a working group to pursue this objective (many employers in the area are paying wages which are below the legal minimum);

-the trade union will be granted a closed shop covering all companies and all workers in the area.

This suspension means that the national strike is now suspended in all areas other than Qwa Qwa and parts of Isithebe, where the union is urging about 3 000 members to remain on strike until we have won satisfactory commitments from employers in those areas.

Issued by:
Andre Kriel
SACTWU
General Secretary

Renato Palmi interviewed on Women’s Wear Daily

Renato Palmi of the ReDress Consultancy who is known for his research, analytical evaluation of apparel and fashion policy directions and for his critique of the industries was interviewed by the international magazine Women’s Wear Daily.
Women's Wear Daily is often called "the fashion bible," Women's Wear Daily serves as the voice of authority, international newswire and agent of change for the fashion, beauty and retail industries.

South African Textiles Strike Ends
7 October 2009
JOHANNESBURG — Clothing workers in South Africa returned to work Thursday, two weeks after a nationwide strike organized by the South African Clothing & Textile Workers Union began, but problems persist for the industry.

Union General Secretary Andre Kriel said both sides had reached an agreement, with the assistance of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation & Arbitration. At a press conference, Kriel said, “The union has always said it is better to find a solution to this situation than to have a strike.”

Some 55,000 workers had abandoned their posts at the factories and taken to the streets in protest against what was considered lower-than-acceptable wage hikes.

Speaking on behalf of the National Employers Caucus, chief negotiator Johan Baard, who is also executive director of the Cape Clothing Association, expressed satisfaction the strike was over and employees had returned to work. “We soon hope to be in a position to disclose full details of the settlement, but it is an arrangement that is mutually acceptable to all parties,” Baard said.

The strike came after negotiations between the union and employers failed. The union demanded a 7.9 percent wage increase, while the employers had insisted on 5 percent. Shortly after the strike began, the employers raised their offer to 8 percent. The union, however, rejected that offer, claiming it came with conditions that were unacceptable.

Analysts estimate a loss of around $13 million to the clothing and textile sector during the strike. One casualty was the 30-year-old clothing factory Rhein Fashions, based in the Western Cape, which was forced to shut down because it could not fill its orders. In the process, 52 workers lost their jobs.

Renato Palmi, a Durban-based analyst specializing in the fashion and textile industry, said while he understood the reasons for the strike on the part of the union, “strategically, it was wrong to do this.”

He explained that wages were low and there was a discrepancy in pay between metro and non-metro workers, which meant wages were dependent on whether one worked in an urban area or a nonurban area. The average take-home pay was the equivalent of about $53 a week.

Palmi cited canceled orders, lost hours of productivity, damaged relationships with suppliers and customers as among the impacts of the strike.

The clothing and textile manufacturing sector has a registered workforce of 230,000 people who are directly employed. Add to that a 200,000-strong workforce employed in related areas such as designers, resulting in an overall industry with annual sales of about $540 million, contributing 11 percent to the manufacturing sector and 16.2 percent to the annual gross domestic product of South Africa.

WWD Copyright ©2008 Fairchild Fashion Group. All rights reserved.

Swimwear and Lingerie beat recession

The Story of the Bikini: A Short History

The bikini as we know it today entered the world in 1946 but archaeological documents and findings show that Roman gymnasts wore clothing that closely resemble the bikini. Was the 1946 invention truly new?

At the turn of the 20th century women who dared to swim took extraordinary lengths to conceal themselves on the beach. A contraption called the bathing machine which in essence was a wooden hut on wheels was developed to conceal women swimmers from praying eyes. The bather (always women) would enter the hut fully clothed, donned her swimming clothes inside and the hut would then be pulled either by horses or human to the edge of the sea where she would disembark and paddle close to the hut.

Over the years women began to exert their influence on society by wearing more daring swimwear. In 1907, Annette Kellerman a silent-film star was charged for indecent exposure for wearing a sleeveless tank suit. In the 1920 and even early 1930s some beaches had inspectors who would measure the bathing suits of women to ensure that they complied with specific regulations relating to how much human flesh could be revealed.

The two-piece swimsuit which consisted of a halter top and very modest bottom that covered the navel, hips and derriere arrived on the fashion in the 1930s and by the 1940s film stars such as Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth and lana Turner

The "bikini" launched in 1946 is an explosive name. Louis Reard introduced the design four days after the US began to do atomic tests in the Bikini Atoll and in a cleaver marketing campaign he named his new creation le bikini. The first person to wear what was to become an iconic fashion item was a stripper named Micheline Bernardini. It would be some time for Reard's design to become integrated within the fashion lexicon. In 1950 American swimsuit mogul Fred Cole scorned the new style saying it was designed for Gallic women who have short legs. For the time being as far as Americans were concerned the traditional two-piece costume was preferred.

From its humble beginnings the Bikini has spurred an entire new fashion market where the costume has become a fashion statement. The current economic crisis is having an effect on the swimwear market but in comparison with other sectors of the apparel industry the effect is relatively small. It is estimated that growth in the global market between 2008 and 2014 will be worth US$ 13.25bn rather than the estimated US$ 13,85bn. Segmenting the sector it is estimated that women's swimwear represents 70% of the total global value. Men's swimwear equals 17% and the market for boys' and girls is 4% and 10% respectively. Analysts estimate that the London Olympics in 2012 will result in some growth of this market with 1,099m units being manufactured by 2012. The mature market previously ignored is now recognised as vital sector for growth.

Fashion designers have realised that swimwear is not just for swimming but has become a fashion statement and they are creating new styles and accessories to meet the needs of these fashionistas.

Another market that has seen relative little decline in this turbulent economic climate is the lingerie and underwear sector. When times are hard people still want to feel good. Both men and women are buying "feel good" clothing. Underwear sales through clothing specialists in the UK have increased by 19% to £379m between 2003-2008.[1] The Russian market is growing and the market in Asia has seen growth by 8% in the second part of 2008 compared to the global growth of 3% for the same period. Chinese consumers spend up to 8% of their clothing budget on lingerie and it is expected that these consumers will increase their spending to 10% by 2010.[2]

Technical innovation in design and textiles has resulted in new styles that promote durability and breathability coming onto the market. Coupled with touch, enhancement features and even memory foam consumers now have a wide choice of lingerie and underwear to meet their particular needs.

A report said that sales of underwired bras had increased by 10% in just 24 weeks and the value of the push up bra market has reached £80m. The market for men's underwear has also seen a growth in trade. [3]

HISTORICAL TIMELINE OF THE BIKINI BATHING SUIT[4]
1946: An explosive year. Bikini Atoll becomes no Bikini at all. In Paris, engineer Louis Reard quietly unveils a swimsuit of the same name. The world yawns.
1951: Bikinis, perhaps seen as an unfair advantage to the wearer (and as potentially dangerous to the health of some judges) are banned from beauty pageants after the Miss World Contest. The tasteful one-piece reigns supreme.
1957: Bikini-clad Brigitte Bardot frolics in "And God Created Woman," creating a hot market for the swimwear. Coincidentally, Hollywood markets 3D glasses in theaters.
1960: Brian Hyland sings "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," triggering a bikini-buying spree among American teens.
1963: The bikini meets a challenge in the generous form of Annette Funicello. The ex-mouseketeer's "Beach Party," with singer Frankie Avalon, leads to six sequels, including the memorably titled "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini" (in 1966). No special effects were used.
1964: The bi- ("two") kini becomes the mono- ("one") kini, in the eyes of designer Rudi Gernreich. The Vatican denounces the topless garb. An unrepentant Gernreich sells more than 3,000 suits in less than a season in Europe. More Americans go abroad.
1966: The bikini grows fur in "One Million Years B.C.," which catapults comely cavegirl Raquel Welch to stardom despite mixed reviews of the saggy screen saga.
1970s: Rio and St. Tropez produce the Tanga suit-- also called the Thong, the string bikini or "dental floss." The uncomfortable design becomes de rigeur for teen posters, muscle car magazines and boxing ring girls who announce the rounds.
1983: Carrie Fisher, as Princess Leia, wears an ornate version of the bikini (studded collar optional) in "Return of the Jedi." Even Yoda notices. The film is the most successful of the George Lucas trilogy.
1993: Score one for the "sports bikini." The hugging halter-top design becomes the rage, thanks to Volleyball queen Gabrielle Reece and MTV.

A History of Lingerie
In one form or another, women have worn garments to support, suppress or accentuate their breasts as far back as 3000BC. Therefore, the modern day bra has developed from Cretan women who wore a hip corset beneath their ceremonial dress, the surcoate worn over the clothes in the middle ages. Depending on the fashions of the time the corset has aided to give shape and definition to the woman’s figure, such as the boyish shape of the Elizabethan & 1920’s.

By the 1500’s the corset elongated the body, flattened and raised the bust while hiding the stomach and hips. When worn with the ‘farthingale’ the wearer had to walk in a sedate gliding fashion. This is also the era of the iron corset - some say worn by Catherine D’Medici’s court as there were strict regulations which correlated a woman’s position in court by her waist size, others say it was for correcting bone deformities.

The corset, commonly known as a ‘stay’, was made of linen with boning and stiffened with paste. Women were then ‘straight-laced’ into them, and the term became synonymous with the pious Puritan women of the 17th century. By the latter part of this century the corsets were more elaborate and it was fashionable to wear them on the outside as in medieval times.

The flamboyant dresses of the 18th century gave way to the simple empire line frock after the French Revolution of 1789. The look did not require heavy corsetry as it kept a more natural shape. The stay was lengthened to shape the hips and thighs, although it is said some ladies wore no corset at all.

By 1825 the high waistline of the Regency style had dropped to a more natural level and corsets became essential to show off an hourglass figure with a desired waist of 18 inches (or less). The Victorian era was the heyday of the corset and advances in design were made through out the century. New metallic eyelets ensured that the tight lacing required to achieve the hourglass figure need not damage the corset. The invention of the sewing machine meant the corset could be produced more quickly than with hand stitching and corsets could be sold ready made. A huge variety of fashion corsets were made and also corsets for maternity, safari, sports, golfing and riding, even for these activities lacing and boning was still used. As corsets were in such demand whalebone became scarce, leading to the use of buffalo-bone, cane, steel, and steam moulding in corsetry.

By the beginning of the 20th century a bust bodices could be worn as an alternative to the corset and this supported the entire bosom as a whole. It was in 1914 when American Mary Phelps-Jacobs, patented her design in the name of Caresse-Crosby. It consisted of two silk handkerchiefs tied together with ribbon to make straps and a seam in the centre front, due to lack of interest, a few years later she sold her idea to Warner’s for $1500-. In 1935 Warner’s introduced the first cup sizing with only A, B &C. Britain continued to use the junior and medium sizing until the 50’s. In 1939 the word bra was added to the English dictionary, it is worth noting the brassiere in French means an infant’s bodice or harness, therefore soutien-gorge is the correct French term for bra.


[1] Verdict
[2] Adsale Publishing Limited
[3] http://www.drapersonline.com/news/other-sectors/lingerie/recession-boosts-lingerie-sales/5006018.article
[4] Peoples Magazine

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Updated: August 2009

South Africa's Fashion Weeks –the future?

So SA Fashion Week may have to search both the local and possibly international corporate landscape for sponsorship for the 2010 SA Fashion Week now that their headline sponsor of four years Sanlam has confirmed that they will no longer be supporting the oldest South African fashion week. Hopefully SAFW has already secured a replacement sponsor.

What does this mean for the industry?

Will we see further encroachment into South Africa's fashion sector by foreign investors such as the Arise Magazine and the media group This Day that are the major sponsors of SAFW opposition Africa Fashion International? What does this say about South African companies that we need foreign financial support to prop-up our fashion sector? Alternatively, what does it say about the returns and outcomes of SA Fashion Weeks for the sponsors of these events? Do SA corporations demand more accountability and some form of corporate governance relating to their sponsorship of these events?

Are we to see a change in the South African fashion week landscape and the birth of a monopoly as I foresaw and presented in Cape Town in 2008?

The current changes relating to South Africa's fashion weeks landscape is interesting and concerning. A study I undertook with a number of designers this year who have participated in one of the many fashion weeks resulted in a mix bag of responses from those saying that yes it was a great marketing and promotional platform but not very good on the business side, to others saying that there is still far too much emphasis on parties, glamour and no real follow-up after the lights had dimmed.

I also suspect some internal conflict with one of the major fashion week players. If there is no conflict then I have to ask why no sponsorship for Durban when the same company can find sponsorship for Johannesburg and Cape Town? A lack of a fashion week in Durban has resulted in Durban designers taking initiatives into their own hand by organising their own focused fashion events and I think this is great. They have been very vocal that they are doing this because of the demise of a Durban fashion week.

The growth of fashion weeks created a somewhat conflicting platform of promoting South African fashion. Many young designers were driven to participate in one of the fashion weeks that clutters our fashion industry with the illusion that if they participated in a fashion week they had "made it" in the industry? Hopefully they will learn some lessons from their Durban colleagues that they can organise, market and host and sell at their own fashion shows.

The future will be interesting.

CLOTHING INDUSTRY ALMOST BACK TO FULL NORMALITY AFTER SUSPENSION OF NATIONAL WAGE STRIKE

South Africa:
1 October 2009

On Tuesday evening, the COSATU-affiliated Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers' Union (SACTWU) partially suspended its national wage strike by 55 000 clothing workers. This follows a recommended settlement hammered out with clothing employers, over three days of tough and intensive conciliation, conducted under the auspices of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration. The trade union has called on its members to start returning to work as from yesterday, while we complete our strike settlement mandate-taking processes throughout the country. Indicative of their desire to be helpful to the industry, SACTWU members have heeded this call for a suspended return to work in a disciplined manner.

The trade union has now completed a survey of the extent of return to work. Based on information solely supplied by management representatives in all the companies surveyed, we announce that the industry has, in very short space of time, now been returned to almost full normality. Yesterday, 71% of members have reported for duty. Survey results thus far for today show that 91% of members are back behind their sewing machines. This means that just over 50 000 of the 55 000 workers who were on strike are back at work today. By prior arrangement, another 2 500 will return to work tomorrow and the balance will still remain on strike as there are some procedural matters that the trade union wishes to sort out for them. The workers who will still remain on strike are mainly in the Botshabelo- and QwaQwa industrial areas where wage under payments remain rife. There are small practical difficulties with the return to work at a few companies, but the trade union's Return To Work Rapid Response Team is dealing with these anomolies.

SACTWU expects to finalise its national mandate this evening and will make a formal announcement of the details of its mandate and the details of the agreement tomorrow.

Clothing strikers to return to work

South Africa:

29 SEPTEMBER 2009 PRESS RELEASE: IMMEDIATEThe COSATU-affiliated Southern Africa

Clothing & Textile Workers' Union (SACTWU) announces that a recommended settlement which could possible end the 10 day national wage strike by 55 000 clothing industry workers has been reached. It was reached at a special conciliation session facilitated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) held in Cape Town today, at the offices of National Bargaining Council for the Clothing Industry.Details of the recommended settlement will first be communicated to the trade union's membership as part of the union's settlement mandating process over the next two days, before it is publically released.

The trade union's negotiating team believes that the recommended settlement addresses all the core issues for which clothing workers have sacrificed so bitterly over the last 10 days of the strike, in particular the attempts by clothing employers to rob workers of their long fough for rights.The union has accordingly suspended the strike and will decide whether or not to call it off formally and fully once our internal mandating processes have been completed. In the interim, we call on our members to return to work as from tomorrow.

Illegal clothing found in Durban

South Africa, Durban

South African Revenue Services raids net R60 million in illegal clothing

ARS announced this morning the that it had confiscated 400 tons of clothing and textile goods valued at R60m in Durban over a three day period last week and that this action was aimed at ensuring compliance with the Customs and Excise Act while protecting the local clothing and textile industry against unfair business practices. SARS said a total of 85 stores were raided, of which 47 were closed as they failed to provide proof of import declaration for the goods in their stores.

Comment: The consumer needs to know the names of these stores that we do not support them. I am assuming that most of the clothing confiscated also finds its way into the informal sector.

Congradulations to SARS ...next stop shopping malls.