Extraterrestrialism by The Bam Collective was showcased at Milan Fashion Week last year. Picture: Instagram.
If you are a talented South African designer who wants to take your brand on an international level, then this opportunity is for you.
The world is opening up to African fashion and South African creatives have an opportunity to showcase their work at the Milan Fashion Week 2024 trade show.
The Department of Small Business Development, in partnership with The Fashion Firm South Africa, is inviting designers to participate in an international fashion showcase in Italy in September.
This opportunity is open to South African designers who have a valid passport, are Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda)-registered clients, are above the age of 21 and have a valid tax clearance certificate.
They must also have an Export Readiness Assessment (Erat) signed by the Seda brand manager, business adviser and the applicant (Seda client).
Applications must be accompanied by a brand profile, and ‘lookbook’ consisting of a Spring/Summer 24/25 collection. The collection must have wholesale and retail medium prices, distribution channels and an average number of items in the range.
Applications close on June 30 and the successful candidates will be contacted by July 10.
Some of the South African designers who have showcased their collections at Milan Fashion Week include The Bam Collective, who exhibited under the Fashion Bridges programme, which saw them collaborate with fashion students of Polimoda.
“The collection is called Extraterrestrialism and it’s inspired by the idea that there is a Bam Collective universe.
“It’s a conceptual space where we create and where my clients live. It’s the idea that when they arrive in Milan from this universe, what will they be wearing?” said founder Jacques Bam.