The annual Africa Textile Talks returns to Cape Town from 29 to 31 July 2025 under the compelling theme “Thread with Care,” bringing together designers, sustainability experts, and innovators from across the continent for three days of insightful discussions, exhibitions, and collaborative action at the V&A Waterfront.
Co-produced by Twyg (South Africa) and Imiloa Collective (Mauritius), the forum aims to reshape the conversation around African textiles — positioning them not only as economic drivers but also as tools for cultural storytelling, environmental restoration, and circular innovation.
Reimagining Fashion as a Force for Regeneration
The 2025 theme emphasizes the textile industry’s potential to become a driver of sustainability and healing. According to Jackie May, founder of Twyg, “By sharing the work of industry pioneers, sustainability experts, practitioners, and artisans, we can help shift the textile, craft and fashion sectors and influence a move towards more nature-friendly consumption and production.”
May also emphasized the need for collective action, stating: “No one person, brand or company can do it on their own.”
Priya Ramkissoon, founder of Imiloa Collective, added that the summit will “explore ideas at the intersection of fashion, craft, culture, sustainability, and the circular economy — building a growing African community of changemakers and inspiring creative solutions with long-term impact.”
A Powerful Lineup of Speakers and Events
Africa Textile Talks 2025 kicks off on 29 July with panels addressing circular design, recycling systems, and extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies — all critical levers for reshaping the future of fashion in Africa.
Key speakers on Day One include:
- David Torr, co-founder of Faro, which redistributes surplus and returned fashion items.
- Luleka Zepe, founder of Elamilina Environmental Project in Khayelitsha, focused on upcycling fabric waste.
- Gary Erasmus, MD of Connacher, which recycles fashion waste into reusable fibre.
- Jesse Naidoo of Clothes to Good, which empowers people with disabilities through clothing recycling micro-enterprises.
Spotlight on Wool: Traceability and Regenerative Grazing
Day Two (30 July) shines the spotlight on wool, with panels involving farmers, processors, designers, and sustainability experts examining wool’s role in a regenerative and traceable fashion system.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Deon Saayman, CEO of Cape Wools SA
- Monica Ebert, sustainability lead at The Woolmark Company (Americas)
- Matthew van Lingen, Karoo sheep farmer using regenerative practices
- Gugu Peteni, luxury designer integrating local wool heritage with modern innovation
African Innovation in Textile Making and Manufacturing
The final day, 31 July, will highlight textile making and production across the continent, celebrating African materials, craft traditions, and biocircular innovation.
Featured speakers include:
- Maria Caley, Namibian lecturer and designer inspired by traditional Kavango basketry
- Muturi Kimani, founder of Texfad (Uganda), pioneering banana stem fibre textiles
- Wacy Zacarias (Mozambique), who develops natural dyes from indigenous healing plants
- Danayi Madondo (Zimbabwe), artist and designer focusing on waste-to-textile solutions
A Week-Long Exhibition: African Fibres, Natural Stories
Complementing the summit is a week-long exhibition hosted at Church House in central Cape Town, curated by Tandekile Mkize. It will feature natural and innovative African fibres, showcasing the depth of African textile artistry. Mkize notes:
“In African traditions, cloth is more than material — it is a medium for storytelling, resistance and healing. It can be designed and produced to restore rather than pollute.”
An Invitation to Create Change
The organizers invite designers, makers, artisans, educators, and sustainability advocates to join the dialogue and reflect on how fabric can be a force for care, renewal, and environmental stewardship.
“We welcome everyone passionate about textiles and sustainability to join us in Cape Town this July — to learn, share, and thread carefully toward a better future,” says Jackie May.
