At this year’s Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards, the annual celebration of the finest local fashion championing sustainability and conscious consumerism, hosted on 23 November 2023 in Cape Town, two former Design Indaba Emerging Creatives took home three awards – including the top prize of the evening.
Twyg, founded in 2018 by Jackie May, is a non-profit organisation and digital platform committed to ‘exploring ways we can live well now while ensuring a kinder, inclusive, nature-friendly future for all’, particularly in the ever-growing fashion industry.
A member of the 2022 Design Indaba Emerging Creatives class, the founder and designer of fashion brand MUNKUS, Thando Nutli, was awarded both the Trans-seasonal Design Award and the overall prize of the evening, the Changemaker Award. Selected by the judges from the highest scorers in each award category, Ntuli will receive a R100 000 cash prize.
Founded in 2019, MUNKUS creates intergenerational modern pieces influenced by the classic silhouettes of 1980s and 1990s South African fashion. Each MUNKUS garment is designed to improve with age, thanks to the use of sustainable textiles that are treated to withstand time.
In 2022, when we spoke to the rising star about her plans for the future, she said, ‘I want to focus on truly ethical design, and design with a circular ecology in mind. All up-and-coming pieces are to head in a direction I want my brand to be known for, which is timeless and sustainable.’ To see one of our Emerging Creatives make such vast strides in such a short time is truly wonderful.
Another Emerging Creative, from the class of 2023, awarded at the ceremony was Khumo Morojele, for his brand Khumo. A self-taught designer and creative director, Morojele took home the Emerging Designer award, which is given to a current student or young designer who is challenging fashion’s status quo, and engaging with environmental and social responsibilities in a playful and creative way. Inspired by the vibrant city of Johannesburg and the community of young creatives of which he is a part, Morojele experiments with new and innovative approaches using sustainable methods.
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