South African retailers have fierce competition in the form of cheap mass-produced clothing manufactured overseas. In the face of this, Edgars, the 93 year old fashion emporium is hard at work growing its local fashion designer portfolio, allowing these designers to showcase and sell their luxury garments through formalized retail.
Edgars is on a mission to develop manufacturing and build a value chain with designers by offering retail space to 11 South African creatives. To highlight this brilliant partnership, Edgars hosted a VIP fashion event at its Edgars Sandton store early in October. Leigh Schubert, Jo Borkett, Amanda Laird Cherry, Colleen Eitzen, Adore Couture (Joy-Lee Coco), Mila (Khanyi Malimela), Storm (Chantelle Storm), Royal Moosh (Bayanda Buthelezi) and Igoda (Zola Shabangu) are just some of the designer labels available to fashion devotees.
Inspired by the growing and hugely talented pool of fashion designers in South Africa, Edgars is dedicated to playing a part in rebuilding, igniting, and supporting the local fashion industry. Edgars, a fashion, and beauty destination supports #madeinSA. This means making floor space for quality chic, elegant and unique, on trend fashion wear for Edgars stores with locally designed couture.
This demonstrates Edgars’ commitment to supporting the South African fashion industry by guiding and building young designer’s business development. It allows Edgars to increase their business and cultivate this into a steady initiative that will revitalise and expand these designers’ brands not only within Edgars but to the local and international markets too.
Many of these designer brands will now be available in a national chain store setting for the first time. Prior to this, these designer garments were confined to boutiques or online. Being conscious of how they could provide a mainstream retail platform, Edgars is determined to give local designers an opportunity to experience formal retail in a new way.
Norman Drieselmann, the CEO of Retailability who own Edgars, believes that a partnership between local designers and formal retail can help the sector flourish. “Edgars is proud to form a true commercial partnership with these local designers as Retailability seeks to proactively promote the local fashion industry in a sustainable manner. To help these designers as they strive to achieve their own visions is very exciting for us,” says Drieselmann.
The support of local designers by Edgars was further cemented through its sponsorship of the Durban Fashion Fair held recently. EThekwini Mayor Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda commented on the City’s relationship with Edgars, “A number of designers who were discovered during our previous showcases and are DFF products are now supplying Edgars stores in various provinces. This is proof that public-private partnerships are the solution to enterprise development.”
With Edgars providing the retail platform, these designers have a unique opportunity to extend their businesses and augment their customer base. Edgars reaffirms its commitment as South Africa’s leading fashion emporium as it launches this exciting extravaganza of sensational South African designer collections.
