Cape Town Fashion Council

Summary

Registered as an industry association in 2006, not-for-profit Cape Town Fashion Council pioneers the South African fashion philosophy “We are all fashion” and represents, develops, supports and grows its fashion sector. The Council represents over nine hundred members including local fashion brands and industry stakeholders within the Clothing and Textiles value chain. Its strategic goals are to develop and support the fashion industry in the Western Cape so that local fashion designers grow their market share.

History

Registered as an industry association in 2006, Cape Town Fashion Council represents over 900 members including local fashion brands and industry stakeholders within the Clothing and Textiles value chain. Its strategic goals are to provide initiatives that develop and support the fashion industry in the Western Cape as well as ensuring that local fashion designers maintain and grow their market share. Key services of the Cape Town Fashion Council include a Fashion Industry Development Programme to facilitate and provide relevant industry information and research; facilitate links with key stakeholders in the industry to invest in emerging fashion talent; network and market to increase industry visibility on the global fashion landscape; advocate and develop policies.

Vision

To be nationally and globally recognised and desired for its uniqueness and excellence.

Mission

To provide initiatives that develop and support the fashion industry in the Western Cape as well as ensuring that local fashion designers access, maintain and grow their market share.

Services

Cape Town Fashion Council provides several services to the fashion community. Its online marketplace ‘Fashion Closet‘ is a one-stop solution for fashion designers to retail their products online in a collaborative environment. The website mimics the aesthetic of a traditional online retailer without the shortcoming and costs that erode into the vendor’s profits. The platform also allows the designers to have control over their logistics, distribution, price points, and lead time to cope with consumer demand and the council has a safe payment gateway between Buyer and Seller. ‘Fashion Cluster‘ hosts the Accelerated Reboot Classrooms for fashion businesses. The programme is designed to support small and medium enterprises in the fashion industry and offers business assistance from various consultants, who would usually charge a fee for their services.  Overall, it offers the opportunity to rebuild, restructure, and reassess business operations post- pandemic. It combines theory with practical work, which provides small fashion businesses with fundamental business information, documentation, and general business structures. Lastly, ‘Cultivate‘ is a digital classroom where fashion designers can meet and learn from industry stakeholders.

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