The Importance Of Fashion In South Africa

1761 Words4 Pages

In this essay I will argue that, South Africa no longer needs to look to the rest of the world for fashion inspiration. We have a rich culture and historical background which is the main influence of our current fashion and we wear it proudly. The essay will be structured in the form of an argument that will present evidence for the above claim and also present a counter argument outlining objections to the main claim. Imagine the feeling, while fashionistas are watching the runways of Paris, London or Milan to see what is happening in the fashion world, they also sit on the edge of their seats to see what Cape Town, South Africa is bringing to the stage! Priceless! Proud! Adam Levin stated in his article “Fashion Revolution” that, “’If you …show more content…

Princess Caroline of Monaco wore an Olowu evening gown, designed by Nigerian-born Duro Olowu at the Bal de la Rose (Myroyalsblog, 2011). As many African styles and designes are doing their own thing and becoming popular, South Africa has also started their own sense of style. South Africa has deep historical roots which influences our fashion. Fashion is how we express ourselves and is a symbol of our heritage. The South African fashion world is influenced by our history and I think in today’s world that overpowers the old European and American fashion ideas. South Africa has received major support from governing bodies in terms of growing its own fashion and textile industries (Isaacs, 2016). Cape Town and Johannesburg ranked 27th and 37th respectively as global fashion capitals in 2014 (Fin24, 2014). This is proof of South Africa’s growing influence on the rest of the world. Our own fashion influence in our country is stronger than the European and American …show more content…

Most South Africans take pride in good and clean footwear and even people from the poorest backgrounds make a huge effort in dressing nicely when going for a meeting, be it for going to the bank, doctor or to meet their child's teacher (ExpatCapeTown.com, n.d.). This attire may seem like it was inspired from Western environments like America and Europe as we see these outfits on television everyday but in fact it’s just the way people in south Africa dress for work to look

Open Document