Clothes4Purpose

South Africa currently faces extreme economic hardships, such as unemployment and poverty. Unfortunately, these challenges breed other obstacles like drug abuse, gender-based violence, and increased criminal activity in the poorest communities in the country. Yet, despite the difficulties they face, women are courageously working to break the cycle of poverty through formal and informal businesses in their communities. According to The Commission on the Status of Women in South Africa, of the 51% total woman population in the country, 45% of them are active participants in the economy.

DO MORE Partners are aiding in the struggle of women to provide meals for their families. One of these Do More Partners is Pepkor Speciality. Pepkor Speciality is passionate about supporting women and young people on their entrepreneurial journeys. The company nurtures smaller brands and positions new fashion and footwear acquisitions. Some of the brands under its division include popular and well-loved stores like Tekkie Town, Shoe City, Dunns, Refinery, CODE, and S.P.C.C.

One of the initiatives that has been a shared passion with Pepkor Speciality is Clothes4Purpose in Hammarsdale. In this initiative, Pepkor Speciality donates aged clothing inventory to women-led Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) from some of its above-mentioned brands. The clothes are still in good condition and one can still wear them. The SMMEs then repurpose and resell the clothing to generate an income.

Apart from donating the clothing items, Pepkor Speciality further extended its generosity and provided the start-up capital to ensure the smooth operation of the initiative. This capital was used to purchase containers to safely store the clothes, clothing rails, sorting tables, and tagging guns. This equipment is useful and assists when the clothes are received at the DO MORE FOUNDATION Business Hub in Hammarsdale. Women who have been trained to prepare the clothes for sale; count the stock, debrand the clothes of labels and tags where necessary, put tags and pre-pack them. Thanks to this initiative, these clothes can be sold and used instead of being discarded.

To date, a total of 10 women are a part of the programme. These women receive continuous coaching and mentoring from a DoMore ‘on the ground’ implementing partner, which helps them develop strong business skills. By participating in the initiative, they have been able to feed their families and pay school fees for their children.

Through this income stream, some women have been able to achieve lifelong dreams. One of these women is Nokuthula Lafleni, who operates a small clothing company called Loughlin Collections. Lafleni said: “I’ve always wanted to build a rondavel, so by being part of this project my dream has been fulfilled. We now have a rondavel at home. We have benefited so much from this project. Thank you so much DO MORE and continue doing more.”

However, with all success stories comes new challenges. In this programme, the women sometimes find themselves out of inventory, which prevents them from making any more sales, thus affecting their earnings. This means there is an opportunity for other clothing retailers and small clothing businesses to Do More to help these women thrive by donating inventory to the programme. More inventory also means that more women can join the programme.

The National Development Plan 2030 (NDP 2030) advocates for the active participation and empowerment of more women in the country’s endeavours to transform the economy. Clothes for Purpose is proof that, with the collaborative effort of business, civil society, and government, reaching our national goals as enshrined in the NDP can become a reality.