While reading a number of articles this past weekend on the subject of sustainability trends in key business sectors, I remembered a quote by design icon Dame Vivienne Westwood, whose mantra is: “Buy less. Choose well. Make it last.” She really understands the importance of shifting consumer attitudes and perceptions towards valuing fewer, higher quality products, which can command higher prices and result in lower impact on the environment. The fashion industry has increasingly come under scrutiny and criticism for its throwaway approach to clothing manufacture, which has a devastating carbon footprint. Today, attitudes are slowly beginning to change with customers becoming interested in durable design, created by passionate artisans with interesting and personal backstories rather than faceless factories. This trend is creating new opportunities for customization, with a return to bespoke, made to measure clothing that reflects the wearer’s personality. This is great news for the thousands of talented women design entrepreneurs across the African continent who have been building their businesses and their reputations based on this approach for years. Their time has come!

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