Fashion District Citichat 9 November 2001

CITICHAT 44.2001- 9 November 2001


Fashion District - Sewafrica

Because of other commitments, missed a great party last week by all reports! It was the opening of SEWAFRICA Training Centre SEWAFRICA is situated at the heart of the Fashion District, an area within the Inner City of Johannesburg identified by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) and the Central Johannesburg Partnership (CJP) as contributing to the revitalisation of the Inner City through the support of micro and small practitioners in the garment and fashion industries. Citichat first reported on the Fashion District one day off a year ago (Citichat 42/2000 dated 10 November 2000).

David Mann, freshly out of his apprenticeship in Europe as a bespoke tailor, arrived in Pritchard Street Johannesburg in 1948. He was employed in the building next door to where his son, Rees Mann, opened SEWAFRICA last week. David recalls that the area even then was the centre for local garment manufacture. It was an incredibly vibrant and exciting place to work and his description of the sheer energy of those early days is quite exhilirating. Reminded me somewhat of movies of the rag trade in the early days of New York, the hustle and bustle, clothes hanging on fashion trolleys being pushed across the roads from building to building by young appies in the trade. He describes how the streets were clogged with railways delivery trucks all trying to offload fabrics into six storey buildings with only one or two lifts whilst finished goods were being rushed down the same lifts and staircases. Property developers were building large industrial buildings as rapidly as they could buy up land and the industry employed tens of thousands, mainly female, mainly afrikaans and all white! Their were so many people in the area that manufacturers had to stagger tea times so that the infrastructure around them could cope! Cape Town was, as now, the place for the really large factories, but Joburg was the place for women's clothing.

1962 and a failed merger between manufacturers of summer garments and another of winter garments provided an opportunity for David to buy the latter, "on Tick"! He remembers cutting the patterns, sewing up samples, tearing down to United Purchasing (now the giant national retailer, Edgars),

A damp and cold Halloween evening saw an enthusiastic turn out from the Inner City (and as far as Cape Town) for the opening of the Sew Africa Centre,  Pritchard Street. Sew Africa is situated at the heart of the Fashion District, an area within the Inner City of Johannesburg identified by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) and the Central Johannesburg Partnership (CJP) as contributing to the revitalisation of the Inner City through the support of micro and small practitioners in the garment and fashion industries. The evening started with drinks and a delicious array of Halloween snacks, a chance to mingle and orient ourselves in the Centre. Thereafter, guests were addressed by Rees Mann, Councilor Sol Cowan of Region 8 and Graeme Reid from the JDA, highlighting general projects and proposals of the Inner City regeneration.

Rees talked us through the company's background and their commitment to remaining in the Inner City at a time when most other manufacturers had taken the decision to leave and head North. This was specifically because the Manns' business believed that the Inner City was, and still is competitive, and that the market which they decided to target (SMME's and people starting out in the fashion industry) were located here. He mentioned some astounding accomplishments the centre has made (with the help of their suppliers) with regard to targeting, encouraging and enabling SMME's access to the industry such as, keeping stock available at prices which only wholesalers could offer, allowing SMME's to buy goods in small quantities, pleating individual garments when other manufacturers would only take large quantities and even making patterns available in six different languages enabling people of different cultures to sew. Thereafter, Rees announced that his incredibly supportive staff had insisted on forming the 'Sew Africa Choir' and everyone was treated to a song of praise, performed in astounding harmony after only 48 hours notice in which to practice.

On the second floor, the Centre has a number of training rooms including a cutting room, rooms equipped with both domestic and industrial sewing machines, lecture rooms and a textile craft room. Wits Tech has come to an arrangement with Sew Africa, whereby their final year, B-Tech students will provide training at the Centre. Three of these students put on a wonderfully glitzy fashion show in a room which the Centre has created as a place specifically to rent out to small business or young designers wherein they can show their designs for the cost of only R1000, including lighting, ramp, music and PA system. The Fashion Cafe and retail outlet on the ground floor add to the vibrancy of Sew Africa, a successful business in the heart of the Fashion District.