#BizTrends2025: Twyg's Jackie May - Is sustainable fashion possible?

In 2019, she also launched the Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards.

Over the past few years, the local clothing and textile industry has suffered with the rise of online stores such as Temu and Shein.

The government has worked to mitigate this but a misconception that does not help, she says is that locally made fashion is too expensive.

“We get confused between designer fashion, which are the more luxurious fashion designers, who are at a higher price point, but there are also many retailers making affordable local clothing.”

She believes the Department of Trade & Industry’s (DTI) master plan to bring retailers and manufacturers together to increase local manufacturing is excellent.

"It is a voluntary agreement or arrangement to import fewer clothes and increase localisation, with a big drive to increase job creation. And it has been an amazing success," she explains.

The culture of consumption

But it cannot be denied that we live in a culture of consumption, overconsumption, and overproduction.

While there is a growing awareness about consumption, like the Netflix movie, Buy Now, fast fashion and unsustainable consumption continue unabated.

“It might look like there's more consciousness, but when you look at the real figures, it's not happening.”

Trends a swear word

Used by big brands to sell people more clothes, trends is a swear word in the fashion sector.

She explains that there were always two seasons a year, a winter and a summer clothing collection.

“Now some brands bring out 52 new collections with a weekly new product. To sell more clothes and to compete against your competitors, you've got to make sure that you've got something new on trend, but you've created that trend.”

Trans-seasonal fashion

Trans-seasonal fashion counters trend fashion, as it is a product of excellent quality that can be worn over multiple seasons in winter and summer. This also feeds into the idea of a capsule wardrobe, which comprises trans-seasonal items with each item of clothing that can be worn with other items of clothing for a long time.

This interview is also available on YouTube, via downloadable App, Apple Podcasts and IONO.FM.

Localisation

What she is more positive about and what she promotes on Twyg is localisation, supporting local designers, manufacturers and products, but still understanding that we live in a global world. This means having products as much locally made as possible.

“Locally made clothes also reflect our cultures. And tell our stories. You could call this a trend or a movement, but it is growing and something we need to support.”

Circular economy

Trends include the need to move from plastic-based clothing to natural fibres, biodiversity, and the circular economy.

The circular economy is economic methods and practices that involve swapping, mending, repairing, and taking care of our clothes and there's a big trend for secondhand clothing.

"We're seeing that on lots of online platforms," she says, but she is concerned that the thrifting trend is having the unintended consequence of encouraging the illegal import of second-hand clothes from the global north to the continent.

New thinking

She would like to see some new thinking, especially from young innovators. "South Africans are so resilient, and they're also so innovative"

In general, there has been a decentering of the fashion narrative, which for long has been dominated by Western brands and big global multinationals.

"The interest in local brands is part of this. But there's a lot of real work happening in understanding what fashion means."

Jackie May, the founder and editor of Twyg, has been working in media for almost 40 years, starting at a South African icon Fair Lady, where she worked in the London office. She then worked at another local media icon, The Sunday Times, before moving into educational television, making documentaries. When The Times newspaper launched she went back to print, a move that culminated in the position of editor-in-chief for Marie Claire before launching Twyg. She describes herself, amongst many qualities, as a lifelong learner. She has just completed her MPhil in sustainable development.