South African Fashion Week Resets to Drive Job Creation and Build a Responsible Designer Fashion Economy

SAFW’s decision to take a strategic pause, marked a pivotal shift - not away from fashion weeks, but towards a more impactful, future-facing model that strengthens the creative fashion design industry and contributes to South Africa’s economy.

The rollout of the Digital AW26 Collections in October, introduced as part of this strategic pause, performed exceptionally well across all SAFW platforms. It demonstrated that reach, engagement, and commercial impact can extend far beyond the limits of a single live event.  By contrast, traditional live shows are increasingly perceived as social gatherings focused on visibility and influencer content, rather than as industry-driven platforms that serve the fashion sector.

SAFW is opening its marketing platform to designers who are actively trading, profitable, and who understand the value of SAFW as a strategic marketing platform.

The new hybrid SAFW model is built on digital storytelling, supported by curated in-person shows and experiences.  It gives designers more flexibility in how they show and sell their collections. It also opens new income opportunities across the fashion value chain, strengthening the creative fashion design industry that SAFW has built over the past 29 years.

This hybrid approach expands sponsorship opportunities across digital and physical platforms while enabling year-round visibility for designers and partners. SAFW is growing its social-media community towards one million followers, increasing its overall audience beyond an established annual reach, of more than 500 million.

South African Fashion Week will return with its hybrid edition from 20 to 26 April 2026, reaffirming its commitment to building a fashion industry that creates jobs, builds local wealth, and positions South Africa as a competitive force in the global fashion economy.

Contact: lucilla@safashionweek.co.za