Sustainable fashion in the spotlight at Sandton City expo
Titled 'Fashion Exhibition: Fashion Reimagined', the expo is being held in Sandton City’s Diamond Walk until Sunday, 18 April. The exhibition is showcasing 14 sustainable fashion garments by local talented designers, created to represent the future of South African fashion.
The designers involved include Gert-Johan Coetzee, Fundudzi by Craig Jacobs, Hangwani Nengovhela from Rubicon, Lezanne Viviers from Viviers Studio and one design by Lara Klawikowski, who won the Changemaker Award and the Innovative Design and Materials Award at the Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards 2020.
Sandton City and its tenants have committed to going plastic bag-free, and several tenants are featured in the Fashion Reimagined Exhibition, with their branded paper shopping bags crafted into bespoke sustainable designs by Franz Grabe.
The tenants include: Nicci, Lush, Shoetopia, Sunglass Hut, Poetry, Roberto Botticelli, Factorie, Skins Cosmetics, Daniel Wellington, Krispy Kreme, Woolworths, Grand Prix and Lindt Chocolatiers.
With all designs focused around sustainability, Sandton City says the exhibition, co-sponsored by Peroni Nastro Azzurro, is designed to "awaken the imagination and allow for personal introspection, particularly in relation to how one is personally contributing to sustainability, or not".
The Fashion Reimagined Exhibition follows closely on the heels of the announcement of Sandton City being awarded a 6-Green Star Rating for Existing Building Performance; by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA). This is the first super-regional mall on the African continent to achieve this rating, representing world leadership in environmentally sustainable operational efficiencies.
Another one of Sandton City’s continued sustainability efforts includes housing two Recycling Vending Machines that recycle plastic, metal and glass; and turn them into recyclable waste. In return, the recycler receives points on the Imagined Earth app. A new addition to these machines is that the points accumulated can now be used towards the purchasing shares on the JSE.