As a multi-use destination, the V&A Waterfront is conscious of its eco footprint. That’s one of the reasons we have created Our Better Nature – a campaign that encourages tenants, and visitors be the change they wish to see in the world, so that together we can create a beautiful future, on a thriving earth, for ourselves and future generations. The thinking is that when we all act from our better nature, nature gets better.

The Slow Fashion Festival that was held at Watershed last month was focused on this same mindset. Hosted by Twyg – a platform that promotes a sustainable, circular, regenerative, caring and ethical way of being – the full-day programme on Saturday 17 August was filled with everything from presentations and panel discussions to workshops, demos and clothing swaps. Its aim was to inspire people on their sustainable fashion journey, providing them with helpful information and usable skills, while giving a new life to the clothes that they already own.

“The growing interest in this movement is significant. It tells us that people are becoming aware of the runaway overconsumption that characterises the current fashion system. We are delighted to be playing a small part in informing and inspiring people about an alternative – better – way to engage with style and fashion.” Says Twyg Founder Jackie May of the success of the Slow Fashion Festival

It is a known fact that the fast-fashion industry overproduces clothing for a hyper-consuming world. Meaning, we no longer cherish our clothes, and dispose of them easily as they have become so cheap to replace. This fashion system is also a big contributor to workforce inequality, pollution, unnecessary waste to landfill and carbon emissions. The Slow Fashion Festival made more people aware of this issue while giving them the chance to be taught by crafters and skilled menders on how to fix their old clothing, saving their preloved wardrobe from going into the non-planet-friendly bin.

Even though Watershed houses so much more than just fashion, sustainability is built into the DNA of the space that celebrates Cape Town’s design story. From homeware and décor items, to accessories and jewellery, musical instruments and art, there’s a thread of planet-consciousness that runs through the work produced by local designers, makers and artisans, many of whom attended the day’s events too. Watershed tenants Helon Melon, One of Each, Artclub & Friends, Research Unit and Our Earth Age even formed the fascinating panel discussion on ‘Running a Sustainable Fashion Business, Sustainably’.

One of the aims of the  Slow Fashion Festival was to highlight ways of adopting sustainable fashion practices in the industry. ‘The biggest challenge is competing with global multi-national organisations who have huge budgets to market (and sell) fast fashion,’ Jackie explains. ‘To overcome this, we need to keep working at spreading our messages about slow fashion. We also need to influence fast-fashion organisations to do better, and advocate for policy that will enforce more sustainable practices.’

She offers practical tips for individuals to incorporate sustainability into their daily lives. ‘Shop your wardrobe,’ she says. ‘Most people have clothes in their wardrobes that they don’t wear, so learn to enjoy repairing your clothing, and understand and develop your own style.’ She also advises retailers to be more aware of their footprint. ‘Businesses could offer repair services and responsible ways for people to recycle their clothing at the end of life,’ she offers by way of example.

The Slow Fashion Festival had participants learning how to make a zero-waste T-shirt with Cape Town Craft Club, were taught by Thimbles how to hand-quilt using scrap fabric, created their own mending kits, and took part in a screen-printing workshop hosted by Good Good Good.

From 15-17 August, Twyg hosted the  Africa Textile Talks at Watershed, featuring makers and thinkers from South Africa and across the continent who are shaping the future of the textile industry – often by reflecting on the past – into a positive, post-fossil-fuel future. This year, the focus was on textile practices that could help us to live in harmony with nature. ‘These talks were incredible,’ says Jackie. ‘Especially our guests from Côte d’Ivoire (Johanna Bramble), Nigeria (Nkwo Onwuka) and Uganda (Josephine Mukasa), who spoke about their sustainable, traditional and artisanal fashion and textile-making practices. I was inspired by them and learnt from them too.’

If you’re interested in being part of the slow-fashion movement, consider shopping at Watershed, where every item is designed and produced locally, lessening the carbon footprint of these local design products. Their high-quality materials and production ethos ensures that they will last for years, promoting a shift away from throw-away culture, toward a deeper appreciation for crafted design from Cape Town and South Africa.

Watershed is open seven days a week, from 10am to 7pm in the spring/summer months (6pm in winter).