A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management (August 2016) / The purpose of this research paper is to explore the proposition around the factors influencing fashion choices for teenage girls which include attitude, impulse consumption, peer pressure, self-congruency and socialisation agents which all lead to their intention to purchase fashionable clothing brands. The research problem was to identify whether the factors influencing teenagers’ attitudes and decision making styles actually affect their intention to consume fashionable clothing brands. The design approach and methodology was the gathering of qualitative data from conducting five focus groups consisting of six female respondents each. The respondents were teenage girls aged between 13 and 19 years old, from different social backgrounds. Findings showed relatively high levels of consumption of fashion brands among the respondents, but not necessarily conducted in the traditional consumer decision-making processes. The manner in which teenage girls consume fashion brands creates a clear distinction and gap in the market of how to connect with this age segment. Key findings of the research show that teenagers no longer conform to typical adolescent ways, and it is through their consumption behaviour that marketers need to identify ways in which retail marketers can engage with them. / MT 2018

Thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Architecture (Professional) to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017 / The home dressmaker is a figure so constant in domestic history that one would be hard pressed to find, even today, somebody who cannot recall a woman from their family sewing at the dining room table. Within a highly industrialised world people rely more than ever on the industry of the machine and it’s endless whirring of fast consumption production. In the process, we have lost the respect for both the process and the product of the hand-made object. The fast-food, fast-living, immediate-access and instant-gratification of a post war America and Europe began an erosion of the morals-of-making which people have relied upon for centuries. Growing industries of cheaply produced clothes, shoes and fabrics from India and China have decimated these formerly strong South African industries. This dissertation aims to address the continued role of home sewing- historically undocumented- as an ‘invisible’ economy and define its position as a driving force for change through a ‘Skills Revolution’. Using the lens of a South African born, Johannesburg based and family run dressmaking and sewing teaching business, Italian Dressmaking School, this thesis aims at addressing the pressing social and economic needs of South African creative industries by providing a platform for personal and community skills development and learning. Italian Dressmaking School was founded in 1961 by my grandmother Irene Sansalvadore, and today continues to provide the tools for women to learn the craft of home sewing. This dissertation aims at providing both the space for women, in particular, to gain a skill in a craft that has historically been considered ‘women’s work’ alongside aligned crafts of weaving and textile dyeing within the historic fabric trading area of Fordsburg. South Africa no longer produces much in the way of textiles, bar traditional shweshwe, which is produced solely in the Eastern Cape and a handful of smaller mills scattered around the country. While pure cotton and linen is hard to come by, increasingly expensive and highly desirable, South Africa on a whole imports all of this fabric from China, Russia and India amongst others. The aim of this project is to build onto an existing nucleus already to be found in Johannesburg, providing South Africas’ residents with the skills to start their own micro businesses centered around the production of cloth, the dyeing/colouring and/or printmaking of produced fabrics and the final garment construction with its dual phases of patternmaking and sewing. This thesis does not aim to compete with industries like China but rather to re-establish a formerly successful craft based industry. The autonomy of people in establishing their own identity is arguably one of the most essential needs after the most basic; survival. This dissertation is not for the fashionista but rather for the woman who has used her hands, for time immemorial, making the cloth that shrouds us all. / XL2018

A thesis submitted in full fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Marketing) at the University of Witwatersrand, 2017 / With the rise of globalisation, consumers are increasingly faced with having to make purchase decisions between domestic and foreign products or brands. Therefore, it is important to gain a better understanding of what factors influence consumer decisions when considering a local or global product or brand. Although a number of studies have explored similar topics, a lack of research remains regarding a comprehensive theoretical model that provides a holistic view of factors influencing the decision to buy a global product. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate those factors that influence the purchase decisions of global fashion brands among black middle-class women in South Africa. More specifically, by means of a conceptual model, the present study proposes that ethnocentrism, price, brand knowledge (comprising of brand awareness and brand image), self-image, fashion involvement, brand love, attitude, and perceived quality influence consumers’ buying decisions. The findings of this study seek to fill the gap in literature regarding how emerging black middle-class consumers in South Africa make buying decisions with regard to (global) fashion products. An empirical study was undertaken, in which 500 black middle-class females were asked to complete an online survey to determine which factors influence their choice of global fashion clothing. The obtained data was analysed by means of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using Partial Least Squares. The findings support all proposed hypotheses, but not all hypotheses were found to be significant. The strongest relationships were found between brand knowledge and perceived quality, brand knowledge and attitude, and self-image and attitude. The weakest relationships were between ethnocentrism and purchase intention, price perception and perceived quality and finally brand love and purchase intention. Furthermore, the findings revealed that quality is the main reason for consumers to consider buying global fashion-branded clothing. On the other hand, price is the biggest drawback of sales of global fashion brands. This study is of significant importance to fashion marketers since it provides adequate insight into how global fashion brands can position themselves and influence consumers’ decisions to buy global fashion products. This study further provides a comprehensive model, adds to knowledge gaps, and provides several managerial implications and directions for future research. / XL2018

This document is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree: Master of Architecture (Professional), Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2016 / This thesis examines a number of issues that exist in Johannesburg across a series of scales, the urban, the architectural and the programmatic intervention. The project, situated between Fordsburg and Newtown, examines the East-West city connections and aims to provide an identity for the lost inbetween fabric of Burghersdorp. The project is made up of four themes, Disconnection, Memory, Textiles and Recycling, within a scope that examines the present based on themes from the past: The city fabric is fragmented, mainly due to city spatial planning and city politics. There is the potential and need to physically stitch or darn city fabrics through urban planning. The project looks at an urban regeneration scheme that incorporates urban devices as the tools used to stitch the street back together. There is potential to darn the programmatic functions in the city, potentially weaving local communities together, and provide a platform for the exchange of knowledge and skills.The thesis also examines the need for buildings as mnemonic aids. Historically, city fabric was erased for the building of the Oriental Plaza. The memories attached to these buildings and spaces were lost. There is a possibility for regenerating a space for memory in the city, re-weaving this forgotten city fabric into a new node and identity for Burghersdorp. The area is defined by the activities of the community that surround it. Textiles are a significant part of defining the area’s identity. A substantial amount of textiles are discarded. Waste is a valuable commodity, evidently seen from the existence of the informal waste collectors. There is an opportunity to connect these communities while closing the loop, a proposal for a circular economy for textiles in the city. / MT2017

M. Tech. Information Networks / This dissertation reports on a systematic evaluation of the quality of services that are provided by clothing industry in South Africa. Textile and apparel clothing industry is an important leading segment of the world economy. Clothing retail stores are continuously striving to improve their service quality towards delivering customer satisfaction, which has surfaced as one of the foundational blocks of modern competitive business. The methodological evaluation of clothing stores follows two essential steps. The first step applies Partial Least Squares algorithm to Taiwan-, Europe- and American customer satisfaction models to identify suitable quality criteria that influence customer satisfaction of clothing store service. The second step uses the identified quality criteria in a multiple criteria decision making algorithm to evaluate a set of 17 popular clothing stores in South Africa. The results of the evaluation of the clothing stores revealed the core competence of South African clothing industry in quality service delivery. The results of this study can be used to guide clothing stores on how to better improve the quality of their services. This supplies confirmation for additional enhancement on corporate competitiveness.

This reseacrh report is about the current role of the government/state in the restructuring of the clothing and textile industry in South Africa

Thesis (BTech (Fashion Design))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2010 / Children grow at fast rates. Due to this fact, parents constantly need to purchase new clothes as children out grow their clothes before it becomes fully worn. Parents spend thousands each year on children's clothing only to have them disposed of before it has reached its maximum wear ability. The purpose of this research is to analyse children's growth pattems and investigate means of increasing the lifespan! wear ability of children's clothing. The practise of increasing the lifespan! wear ability of clothing lends itself to the Sustainable Design paradigm that encourages designers to create products (garments) with longer lifecycles and discourages waste at every stage of the products lifespan. The process of "tossing out" clothes or not wearing it to its maximum utilization creates waste and fuels mass consumption.As a result masses of clothing end up in landfills and due to its mainly synthetic nature, it causes harm to the environment. By incorporating innovative design and construction techniques I aim to explore methods of adjusting garments according to the growth experienced by children annually. This will allow children to wear the garments for a longer period eliminating the need for parents to purchase new clothing when the clothes no longer fit.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the past the textile and clothing industry was a protected industry that was driven by import substitution. The retail market was driven by the manufacturers - customers could only buy what the market offered. Products were priced according to local competition and local input costs. After the liberalisation of South Africa's trade, the whole scenario changed - not only was the industry driven by the consumer, but the industry suddenly had to compete on a global basis and input costs - specially labour, increased substantially. The above, together with other structural changes, posed a tremendous challenge to companies in this industry, and a substantial number could not meet these challenges effectively. This gave rise to a new partner in this industry - the informal clothing manufacturing industry. In order to survive and compete globally, manufacturers had to equal or better international competitors and find their specific markets. The above implied that the following issues had to be addressed: • Backlog on capital spending • Increase in productivity • Increasing quality • Sourcing cheaper raw materials of high quality • Funding • Focusing on niche markets • Implementing best practises according to international standards • Utilising the depreciation of the local currency. Unfortunately, a large number of local companies were not able to adapt due to: • Absence of management skills • Inability to fund the period of change • Lack and deterioration of market • Lack of critical mass in terms of volume. At present, a large number of the companies have successfully adapted and are profitable. The future of the textile and clothing industry does not look bleak at all, and exciting growth and employment opportunities exist, given that the following issues can be addressed: • The cost of labour, especially with regards to the HIV/AIDS issue. • Addressing the standard of management. • Creating and implementing a unified strategy with strategic alliances under strong leadership. • Utilising the new global trade opportunities. It is the contention of the writer that the Western Cape will see a tremendous growth in the Textile and Clothing Industry within the near future. International relocation to South Africa may take place due to favourable export opportunities offered. The demographic qualities of the Western Cape exceed that of other regions in South Africa - particularly regarding HIV/AIDS and education. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die verlede is die klere en tekstiel industrie grootliks gekenmerk deur invoer vervanging. Die verbruikers se keuse in die mark was grootliks bepaal deur die produsente. Pryse was 'n funksie van die plaaslike kompetisie en vervaardigingskoste. Na die liberalisering van die Suid Afrikaanse ekonomie het die situasie drasties verander. Die mark word nou bepaal deur die verbruiker, en die industrie moes in 'n internasionale mark kompeteer. In dieselfde tyd het die koste van arbeid ook dramaties toegeneem - een van die groot inset kostes in die bedryf. Bogenoemde en ander strukturele veranderinge het uitdagings aan die plaaslike industrie daargestel wat nie deur 'n groot aantal plaaslike deelnemers effektief aangespreek kon word nie. Dit het aanleiding gegee tot die groei van die informele sektor in die nywerheid. Ten einde winsgewend te wees in die internasionale arena en te oorleef moes vervaardigers spesifieke markte identifiseer en spesialiseer. Maatskappye is genoop om die volgende aspekte as 'n saak van oorlewing aan te spreek: • Die herinvestering ten opsigte van verouderde vervaardigings toerusting • Verbetering van produktiwiteit en kwaliteit • Verkryging van bekostigbare hoë kwaliteit materiaal • Investering • Spesialis en niche markte • Implimentering van wereldklas vervaardigings standaarde • Strategiese positionering ten opsigte van die verswakking van die rand wisselkoers Ongelukkig was 'n groot aantal plaaslike maatskappye nie in staat om aan te pas nie. Dit kon hoofsaaklik toegeskryf word aan die volgende: • Gebrek aan bestuursvernuf • Onvermoë om die oorgangsfase te befonds • Gebrek aan toepaslike markte • Onvoldoende omset ten einde kritieke volumes te behaal • Strukturele koste samestelling Tans is daar uiters suksesvolle en winsgewende maatskappye in die klere en tekstiel bedryf. Die toekoms van die bedryf in Suid Afrika is nie duister nie. Geleentheid vir groei en indiensneming bestaan, mits die volgende aspekte doeltreffend aangespreek kan word: • Die koste van arbeid, veral met betrekking tot die addisionele koste impliasie van HIV/VIGS • Bestuurskundigheid • Die effektiewe beplanning en uitvoering van 'n unitêre strategie wat alle betrokke partye in die industrie betrek • Die ontsluiting van nuwe wêreld handelsgeleenthede Dit is die skrywer se opinie dat die Weskaap 'n groei in die bedryf sal beleef. Oorsese maatskappye mag vervaardigingsfasiliteite in Suid Afrika hervestig as gevolg van die gunstige uitvoer geleenthede wat Suid Afrika bied. Die demografiese kwaliteit van die Weskaap is beter as die res van Suid Afrika - veral wat betref opvoeding en die voorkoms van HIV/VIGS.

Thesis (M. Tech. (Fashion, Dept. of Visual Arts and Design)--Vaal University of Technology. / Fashion information is sought during the fashion decision-making process and can be obtained from various sources such as magazines, fashion consultants, websites, store displays as well as personal communication. Various levels, methods such as internal and external search and types of information at the point of purchase, for example garment characteristics, price, brand, labels, social evaluation, impersonal communication with sales persons and perceived risks are used to assist the consumer in making informed fashion decisions. The broad research aim of this study was to determine which methods, sources and economics of fashion information are used and which types of fashion information at the point of purchase are sought by female educators in Vanderbijlpark during the fashion decision-making process, and to whlch extent, as well as to determine the frequency of use of various types of stores for fashion purchases. A self-administered, structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Section A measured methods of information seeking, section B determined the economics of information search, section C investigated sources of fashion information and section D determined types of information sought at the point of purchase. Demographic information and the frequency with which clothing was bought at various store types were investigated in Section E. A random sample was chosen from the female educating staff of the 22 schools in Vanderbijlpark. The majority of the educators (40.18 percent) were between the ages of 41 and 50, representing baby boomers. Almost all (95.5 percent) had a tertiary qualification and most were married. Regarding the methods of information seeking, the respondents depended on internal information seeking more than on external methods and were moderately involved in the process. Shopping in stores was regarded the most important source of fashion information. Garment characteristics, namely fit and comfort, were regarded as the most important types of information at the point of purchase, while the most popular type of store was department stores, followed by specialty and discount stores. Four clusters of respondents could be distinguished, each with a specific disposition towards the methods and economics of search, sources used and types of information sought at the point of purchase during the fashion decision-making process.

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2007 / An assessment undertaken by the Clothing and Textile Centre in the Western Cape (Clotex) during 2002 revealed that there was a great need for quality in the clothing sector. Furthermore, the research undertaken by the Department of Science and Technology (2004) supports and recommends the development of simple, paper-based systems for implementation and measurement for quality and production systems. An analysis of the macro- and micro-environmental factors confronting the clothing industry revealed that substantial pressure was placed on the clothing industry due to unfavourable exchange rates, increased pricing and illegal imports. The result has been a decline in sales, profits and exports, which has lead to the closure of many clothing companies in the Western Cape during the period 2003 to present. Furthermore, this has resulted in the increase of SMME companies that have been established due to the increase in unemployment. A combination of qualitative and quantitative research techniques was applied during this study, namely focus-group sessions and survey questionnaires. Six focus-group sessions were held with participants from the retail sector, large manufacturers and small manufacturers with the purpose to establish the quality needs in the clothing industry and the type of quality systems utilised. The outcome of the focus group was the development of a questionnaire, using both a combination of scale response questions as well as dichotomous questions. As a result a research survey was conducted amongst the small manufacturing companies in the Western Cape who conform to the provisions contained in the National Business Act, 1996 (Act 102 of 1996). The research revealed that all the respondents had implemented quality control systems. Quality control systems are viewed as preventative systems in ensuring that goods not conforming to customer specifications are prevented from reaching the customer. The research analysis further revealed that communication between buyer and seller was an integral part of the success of the business. The research provides small-business with a framework, which will facilitate the evaluation of the current quality practices with the view to improving or implementing an effective quality assurance system.