On the 10th June 2020, we (along with Sol-Sol) committed publicly to actively joining the fight against systemic racism in the way in which we run our business.
This action also signaled the start of a dialogue around improving BIPOC lives in the South African fashion industry. We don’t have all the words, all the knowledge or all the ideas, but we do have a plan of action.
We actively invite everybody in our industry to reflect on their role in the industry, and engage with us and become part of a movement for greater good.
Daniel Sher – info@goodgoodgood.co.za
Mathew Kieser – solsol@sol-solmenswear.com
We were attempting to display solidarity with BIPOC people, however through active listening, learning and more listening, we realized that we made an empty statement that lacked transformative intention and action.
As a company we underwent, and continuously engage in, a deep process of self-enquiry which forms part of our commitment to actively join the fight against systemic racism, and to better contribute to a more just society.
Food Flow – An organization that uses donor funding to purchase from small scale food producers to feed communities across South Africa. The Woodstock & Salt River Community Upliftment Project (WSCUP) – Founded a few years ago by Woodstock local, Eddie Thompson, The Upliftment Project is a passionate community-based informal initiative in Woodstock (Cape Town), located within a 5km radius of our factory floor. Their aim is to elevate people in the neighbourhood to their next level of self-sufficiency by valuing local informal trade and skills development, providing assistance where possible, and nurturing connections between neighbours and informal traders for mutually beneficial exchanges. The Upliftment Project presents us with an opportunity to assist a black owned and lead initiative. Beyond this first contribution, we are in discussions with Eddie to determine how we could continue to support them moving forwards.
It was brought to our attention that our words, accompanied by the artworks of these two specific animals, are problematic and offensive towards Chinese and East Asian people.
It is in the generalized nature of our statement, left open to ambiguity, as well as the choice of the two featured animals (and by not including additional animals such as cows, chickens, pigs etc) that we acknowledge our insensitivity towards the Chinese & East Asian community and the xenophobic and racist struggles they were facing as a result of Covid-19.
We accept full responsibility for the hurt that our actions may have caused for these and any other people, and for that we are truly sorry.
Our intention was a small attempt to improve the reputation of these two animals, and for the animals to be a symbol for reclaiming responsibility for mainstream excessive consumption, poor trade ethics and unsustainable eating habits all around the world.
We are thankful to the people in our community who engaged with us on this topic, and who have challenged us to broaden our awareness. We pulled the products off our website, and in so doing, discontinued the sales of these products.
Our SS21 campaign and editorial involved a fundraising collaboration with The Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Orchestra’s (CPYO) Development Programme. As part of our continued commitment to change, 10% of the profits from the sale of the Hope Collection were donated to the CPYO development program, which provides quality musical education to young musicians.
