South African Fashion Week Announces Strategic Pause to Recalibrate the Future of Fashion
Johannesburg, 4th September 2025
After 28 years of shaping the South African Designer fashion industry, South African Fashion Week (SAFW) has announced a strategic pause to recalibrate and reshape the future. With global shifts in supply chains, the rise of fast fashion, and the growing urgency of sustainability, the traditional model of fashion week needs change. This pause is a recalibration, a thoughtful re-evaluation and realignment. It marks the start of shaping the next phase of marketing the Creative Designer Fashion Industry.
“I believe it is vital that we take a season to listen, think, and reflect together as a designer community and the industry at large, so that we can shape the best new direction and secure a thriving future for our industry,” says director Lucilla Booyzen.
Over the past three decades, SA Fashion Week has been a leading platform for unearthing, supporting, and marketing South African designers both locally and internationally. Now, with exciting opportunities ahead, this pause allows for the integration of research, knowledge, and insights gained over nearly 30 years into a new, future-ready model. The vision is to create something dynamic, suited to the South African market and the Global South, while remaining connected to the Global North. SAFW will collaborate with designers, industry stakeholders, retailers, buyers, sponsors, and the wider creative community to ensure the next chapter reflects the needs of the entire fashion value chain.
During this pause, SAFW will continue sharing our designers’ stories, showcasing their new collections, and celebrating their creative evolution across all digital platforms, while guiding the consumer directly to where their collections can be found and purchased. As the industry stands at a crossroads, this recalibration is about more than a pause - it is about ensuring that South African fashion continues to thrive, innovate, and lead in a rapidly changing, landscape.
ENDS
