on May 24th, 2007(Offers) South Africa Fashion Business Development, Marketing and Research
ReDress Consultancy©
Renato Palmi
Researcher, Business Development and Writer
(Clothing, Textile, Fashion Industries and NGOs)
STITCHING LINKS IN CLOTHING AND FASHION DEVELOPMENT
The Redress Consultancy© strives to contribute positively to the development, growth and sustainability of South Africa’s and Africa’s clothing, textile and fashion industries through the activities of establishing collaborative networks and partnerships locally and globally to promote African design content. The Consultancy also provides analysis and research in these industrial sectors for research institutions, government departments and the private sector.
The Consultancy writes articles on these industries through profiles on designers and companies in these industrial sectors as well as on Fashion Events.
Foreign Networking: Linking Threads with South Africa and Africa
Should opportunities in the form of Fashion Events, exhibitions and conferences provide favorable space for showcasing South Africa’s fashion design content, networking, and business opportunities or to present on South Africa’s clothing, textile and fashion sectors do contact me for the facilitation and implementation of such prospects.
Local and Pan-African Networking and Development
The Redress Consultancy© can provide designers with service in promoting their business, through marketing strategies. The Consultancy can also provide skills development, networking, and publicity exposure to facilitate the promotion of South Africa’s clothing, textile and fashion sector and with Pan-African organisations, in the clothing, textile and fashion sector.
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My Involvement in the Clothing, Textile and Fashion Sectors
MA in Development Studies:
University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (2004-7)
Thesis on fashion design in the context of the South African and global clothing and textile industries
Title: Inside–Out: South African Fashion Designers’ Sewing Success
Diplomas: Business Marketing, Sales and Production Management. Certificate in Resource Allocation and Research methodology – University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
 In the process of this research, I have established a strong network of contacts within relevant sectors, such as the South African Department of Trade and Industry, trade unions, retailers and independent boutique owners, clothing designers and owners of the various Fashion Week events.
 I have also liaised with various foreign organisations that operate in the clothing and textile sectors, and foreign NGOs that promote Fair and Ethical Trade in these industry sectors.
 More generally, my Master’s research enabled me to amass knowledge of the local, regional and global clothing and textile sectors, with particular understanding of their value-chains and trade policies. This knowledge is cached in an extensive personal resource archive of branding and business development materials specific to the apparel, textiles and fashion design sector.
 In disseminating my research findings, I have engaged with the Durban Chamber of Business and the Durban Clothing and Fashion Council, under whose auspices a committee has been formed to develop and implement plans for a Durban-based Fashion Cluster. I produced a concept paper to market the committee and its activities, and have been appointed to design, populate and market a new website to promote the Cluster and the Council.
 I have also been tasked with co-strategising the marketing and economic development of the Durban Fashion Week event.
 In the academic arena, I have developed training and educational materials on fashion brand marketing and sales strategy and business plan development for independent fashion designers. My portfolio of specialist lectures for various local higher education institutions features a key module on Fair Trade within the clothing and textile sectors; these presentations offer prominent case studies - one of which is the (RED) brand - as exemplars of cause-related marketing.
 I undertook a research study on the 2006 Durban Fashion Week and the 2006 Durban Designer Collection for relevant stakeholders and presented my research to the Durban Chamber of Business. The research objective was to determine the degree of economic return achieved by and for the event participants, to observe consumer behaviour around and responses to the events, and to gauge their scope and efficacy.
 I have been assigned as a Guest Editor for the new US-based fashion magazine UZURI, positioned for entry into the South African market.
 I have established and nurtured solid relationships with the local South African mainstream and specialist fashion media, offering my research findings and market analyses both locally and internationally.
 I have developed a concept paper relating to civil society mobilisation for promoting local clothing brands, focused on the ways in which organisations like Proudly South Africa, trade unions and various other civil society bodies can collaboratively construct and formalise new methods of promoting specific brand content within the clothing industry. Part of this research entailed studies of consumer behaviour relating to specific branded clothing within the context of fair and ethical trade, and in relation to specific brands that are used to mobilise global efforts to confront poverty. The concept document also proposes mechanisms for measuring the levels of co-operation around such campaigns among major retailers, privately owned boutiques and the consumer-base.
 Leisureworx – the holding company for the South African Durban and Cape Town Fashion Weeks, has used my research.
 I have been contracted to do research and evaluation on the 2007 MTN Durban Fashion Week – SA.
 I have written a number of articles and have been quoted by national South African papers relating to the South African clothing, textile and fashion sectors.
 I lecture on fashion business: marketing, sales strategies.
 Development of a monthly newsletter relating to the Clothing and Fashion Sector called the “ReDress Report”, which encourages constructive debate about these industries. Have also developed a blog to promote South African and Pan African Fashion Design that provides space for designers, companies to market and promote their operations.
ReDress Consultancy©
Renato Palmi
Researcher, Business Development and Writer
(Clothing, Textile, Fashion Industries and NGOs)
MDevStud. Dip. Production Management & Marketing.
Cert. Resource & Analysis Methodology. Cert. HIV/AIDS Monitoring & Evaluation.
PO Box 52006, Berea Road, KZN, Durban, South Africa 4007
Telephone: + 031-2616096, Cell 083 943 0235
E-mail: yakshack@iafrica.com
http://redressconsultancy.blogspot.com
