Equipping Designers
The KwaZulu-Natal Fashion Council (KZNFC) was established in 2009 as a Not for Profit Section 21 Company, in response to the need to support the fashion design sector, through a strategic partnership between the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) and the eThekwini Municipality's Economic Development and Investment Promotion Unit.
As such the core mandate of the KZNFC remains to provide support to the fashion design sector in the province with a focus on emerging and youth designers.
The KZNFC recognizes the importance of alignment within the sector, and over the past few years, has specifically encouraged stakeholders to adopt a more consistent and significant value aligned approach within the clothing value chain. It further recognizes that a multi-sectoral commitment to value chain alignment is important for strengthening the social, economic and creative talents of emerging and established fashion designers to better contribute to sustainable economic development and enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of the industry in the short, medium and long term. Through the delivery of strategic programmes for junior, emerging and established designers with a focus on previously disadvantaged individuals, the KZNFC continues to equip designers to become competitive on a national and global scale.