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Stitching for South Africa

Stitching for South Africa

taking responsibility for working conditions in garment supply chain for South African retailers

Publication

N. Ascoly

1 January 2006

Clothes are a growing, multi-billion rand industry in South Africa. But while shoppers might know a lot about the latest fashion trends or where to go for a good bargain, most people perusing the shopping centres of Cape Town, Johannesburg, or Durban will generally have a fairly low awareness of where their clothes are made, who’s stitched them, and in what conditions. This is not surprising: Information on the “where” and “how” of clothing production is not widely distributed by the top retailers in South Africa and articles on this topic do not receive much attention in the press. Only recently, in May 2005 was legislation passed that requires all clothing, textiles, footwear, and leather goods to carry a label stating in which country they were made.