Windhoek, the modern capital city of Namibia is home to a budding fashion scene. Though still in its infancy, it has experienced significant growth since the inception of the Fashion Council of Namibia in 2013, a non-governmental body working to enable the local fashion value chain to achieve sustainable businesses and partnerships. In 2016, the city hosted its first fashion week which has now become an annual display of local and international design talent as well a hub for models, fashion bloggers and media personalities.

As the country’s capital looks to build its fashion footprint, it is timely to consider if and how it can be sustainable not just financially, but environmentally also. The conversation around sustainable fashion has reached a tipping point internationally thanks to organisations such as Fashion Revolution and the Ethical Fashion Initiative, which advocate for mindful production and consumption of clothing, especially in developing nations where environmental degradation and climate change, as well as economic and social instability, is felt the most.

The facts speak for themselves. The global fashion industry accounts for 8-10 per cent of global carbon emissions, 24 per cent of insecticides and 11 per cent of pesticides. It generates around 20 per cent of the world’s wastewater and releases half a million tons of synthetic microfibers into the oceans annually. The average consumer buys 60 per cent more pieces of clothing than 15 years ago and each item is only kept for half as long. The industry is valued at $2.4 trillion, $500 billion of which is wasted due to lack of recycling and unsold clothes ending up in landfill. Meanwhile those employed at the bottom of the production chain are facing unacceptable conditions and pay. Namibia is not a significant part of this problem - or solution - yet, but what can be done now to change the narrative?

Local designers feel that consumers here are disconnected when it comes to understanding the environmental impact of fashion consumption, thus limiting the demand for sustainable products. “The problem is that most people in Namibia do not know about the effects that the fashion industry has had on the environment and on people’s lives,” says Nikola Conradie who after studying fashion design in Florence, returned to Namibia to launch her brand Nikola Conradie Fashions.

Fellow designer, blogger and content creator, Leah Misika echoes her sentiments. “We do not consider sustainability important yet in Namibia mainly due to the fact that our country has a low density population that is not under any strong environmental pressure. This renders us somewhat blind to the idea that what we do as individuals impacts the wellbeing of the environment.”

The ethos of sustainability is an understanding of the interconnectedness of all the parts of the fashion value chain. “For a garment to truly be sustainable, it must be so starting from the production of the raw materials used for manufacturing textiles,” adds Disney Andreas, an environmentalist who is also the creative and fashion director at Monochrome magazine, a Namibian online fashion publication.

Herein lies one of the major limitations of sustainable fashion for many African designers. The textile industry in Africa has seen a dramatic decline over recent decades. In this country most factories, such as Namibian Rhino, have closed down due to lack of investment and the pressure of cheap imports. “We are not producing our own textiles, which makes it difficult for designers like myself to make sustainable garments,” chimes Conradie. At this designer’s store in the heart of the city, she has added pieces made from imported African wax print to her classic couture gowns in order to meet her customers’ needs and tastes.

For designers who are lacking access to organic materials or artisanal skills and consumers that are unable to buy sustainable brands, a solution may exist within the second hand clothing industry. As an avid thrifter, in-demand Namibian model, Johanna Swartbooi finds a balance between staying trendy and maintaining her vintage-inspired style by heading to Windhoek’s markets. “It was not a conscious decision to be more sustainable by shopping thrifted clothing,” she explains. “As a child, I wore a lot of my aunt’s hand-me-downs, which made me comfortable with wearing second hand clothing.”

Like her, much of the African population shops second hand clothing not because they want to upcycle but out of necessity. For many, it is convenient and provides them access to otherwise unattainable fashion pieces at affordable prices. And in cities such as Joburg and Nairobi, thrifting has also become truly elevated, just as vintage fashion is revered in other parts of the world.

The counter argument is that Africa has become a dumping ground for clothing overstock and second hand clothes from the West, predominantly the US, Canada and UK. This influx of low-grade clothing takes profits away from local fashion labels and stifles the home grown textile industry. Since 2015 the countries of the East African Community have gone to great lengths to ban second clothes but have faced pressure from the US to compromise, which argues that they are in breach of AGOA commitments. Similar efforts in Zimbabwe, Nigeria and South Africa have also faltered due in part to the black market.

However, Swartbooi now embraces the possibilities that open up when you think about reusing materials with her jewellery business, ‡nu/gôa, for which she uses bottle tops to make earrings. “As with thrifting, I wanted to find ways of being more resourceful and use what was already available at hand,” she says. In Windhoek, this solution-focused mind set is undeveloped. “We are yet to have any sustainable fashion brands showcase at fashion week,” says Kalistu Mukuroli, chief strategist at Avaro Media group and co-founder of Windhoek Fashion Week.

A beacon of hope is Taati Sibolile who until recently was recognised as the only designer of sustainable clothing in Windhoek. Under her eponymous ethical brand launched in 2015, Sibolile used imported fabric that was sustainably produced for her designs. Despite closing the brand recently, citing a change in creative interests, she encourages other designers to pursue this niche market regardless of high production costs that result in high sale prices. “Every price point is relative to each consumer,” she says. “What one person finds valuable even though expensive, another one may not. As a designer, it is important to know what you want to provide in the market and stick to it.” For those looking to venture into this untapped market, she offers the following advice: “It is important for designers to understand that fashion, in this case, sustainable fashion, is still a business that needs to generate profits.”

Engaging skilled artisans and their centuries-old crafts could assist with creating a profitable sustainable business model. These artisans can be found selling handmade jewellery and crafts on the streets of Windhoek as well as in local communities across the country. If we can merge the modern and innovative thinking of young designers with slower, handcrafted workmanship rooted in traditional, indigenous practices that are applied in harmony with the natural world - and take into consideration local ecological, human and infrastructural limitations – we could be the way to a more sustainable future for Namibian fashion.

Read the Fashion Futures report on the UK here
Read the Fashion Futures report on the Malawi here
Read the Fashion Futures report on Zimbabwe here
Read an overview of the Fashion Futures project in association with the British Council, Chenesai and Nataal here

Words Thokozani Spoon Phiri
Photography Martin Amushendje

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Published on 13/11/2019