South African fashion luminary Gavin Rajah has described his partnership with Pick n Pay Clothing as being “made for people who cannot afford my clothing”.
Rajah was full of enthusiasm at the launch of his fourth collection for the clothing shops belonging to the retail giant last Thursday.
He said low-income fashion buyers did not deserve rags for clothes as they have formed a viable markets for brands.
“Brand value exists across the sectors of society. [That’s why] I partnered with Pick ‘n Pay clothing for clients to access my brand at a lower price,” Rajah said.
In a interview with Sunday World Rajah, Rajah proudly said: “Without those people [who cannot afford my expensive wear] I would not have a brand.
“Working with Pick n Pay Clothing is democratising fashion and creating fashion that is accessible for people to wear at a price they can afford.”
Rajah said the collaboration with Pick n Pay Clothing also affords him the opportunity to give back in a different way.
Denim is about functionality
He said his new collection for the retailer was now available in its outlets countrywide.
“Moving forward I will do more collections with them!,” Rajah said with excitement.
“Denim is about the functionality and it is this season’s big trend and the nice thing about this collection is that it is unisex
“The collection is really focused on conservation water so all the materials used to make this collection are recycled water. This collections is all about local manufactures, local production and local sourcing as you trying to build a local economy. It took me a year to put this together every collection that I put together takes me a year.”
The green card about Rajah’s PnP collection reads as follows:
The denim in the range is produced almost entirely (96%) with recycled water, reducing its use of natural resources. Making denim is water-intensive, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reports that it takes 3,781 litres of water to make one pair of jeans; and
- The range was also produced in Lesotho, supporting the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region for job creation. The 100% cotton tees form part of the Better Cotton Initiative.
Under the denim fabrics layered some secrets that Rajah cared to share with Sunday World earlier this week.
Rajah, who has been in the fashion industry for 30 years, said about the future: “My big thing is courting young designers. I have done that for black designers for a long time now. We want take it to the next level.
Finding new designers
“In 2007, I took a handful of young designers to Paris to show them that they can dream big.
“When we returned that is when magazines would write about our black designers. Before than, white magazine editors did not want to feature our black designers.
“In 2020 I established the Futurewear programme, a platform dedicated to delivering designer ranges for customers at affordable prices. At the same time, finding the new guard of South African creatives and mentoring them to create household labels which sell commercially.
“We need new designers. It is about growing a community. As senior designers, we cannot be like African presidents who want to hold on to power forever. We must allow younger designers the opportunities to take the design community forward.
“I am very outspoken about this and it some times gets me into trouble but do I care ? No! I am 53 years old; that is the beauty about being old.”
The collection will be available in-store and online at www.picknpayclothing.co.za from November 27.
