Merc does a U-turn over fashion week
● Headline sponsor Mercedes-Benz has pulled out of Cape Town fashion week, ending a six-year relationship with the African Fashion International extravaganza.
As a result, the premier event that starts on Wednesday will change its name from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week to Cape Town Fashion Week.
Precious Moloi-Motsepe, executive chairman of AFI, said fashion week had provided a return on investment of more than 1:13 during the two three-year contracts with the German car maker.
Motsepe said Mercedes’ association with the fashion event had helped to shift perceptions of the vehicle brand.
“This year, the shareholders of AFI have provided gap funding to allow the company to grow,” she added.
Selvin Govender, director of local marketing for Mercedes-Benz, declined to discuss the company’s reasons for dropping the sponsorship or how much it had spent on the event.
Historically, fashion weeks have served as a platform for young and upcoming local designers to showcase their talents.
But the advent of social media platforms such as Instagram has disrupted this model, leading to questions over the relevance of a fashion week in a digital age when fashion styles change virtually overnight.
Nicola Cooper, a senior trend researcher and analyst, said fashion weeks were more a marketing or media platform than an opportunity for industry professionals to engage or purchase designs.
“Social media platforms have really changed the game for young designers and new brands,” she said. “I often explain that once one launches themselves on social media they are global.”
She said that the viability of South African fashion weeks was undermined by a lack of co-ordination between them.
“Each has their own unique approach, talents and skill sets. I can only imagine what we could achieve if those forces were joined,” she said.
Despite the changing landscape, Motsepe believes fashion weeks are still relevant as they can help designers to become household names.
Thula Sindi, one of South Africa’s bestknown designers, first showed at a fashion week four years ago.
“I believe fashion weeks have a role to play, but as a business, you need to decide which platform works for you. You need to choose what platforms you want to use at that moment to make business sense,” he said.
“The return on business with fashion weeks is that as a designer it’s impossible to host your own private show . . . fashion weeks provide that platform,” said Sindi.