As founder and editor of Twyg — a platform showcasing fashion, food and places that don’t harm the planet nor people — Jackie May creates experiences, workshops and campaigns in collaboration with like-minded organisations to inspire people to make sustainable, inclusive and ethical lifestyle choices.
Jackie May — Photo by Bekah Vogel
Q > What inspired you to launch Twyg, and what do you hope it will achieve in the coming years?
A > I had recently left a job as editor of a mainstream consumer magazine, and it was clear media was not addressing one of the greatest challenges of my lifetime. I was determined to draw attention to environmental issues, do it in an attractive way and be part of the small independent media movement that was emerging to deal with similar issues. In 2018, when I published the first stories on Twyg, there was very little in our mainstream press focussed on the intersection of consumer behaviour and environmental issues. Luckily, this has changed significantly: the mainstream interest in sustainability is, well… pretty mainstream.
We love fashion and beautiful things, but we’re not particularly interested in trends — this tends to encourage unnecessary consumerism. I often grapple with the difference between “wants” and “needs”… Fashion is about “wants”. Do we have the luxury of extracting resources, destroying biodiversity etc to respond to our wants instead of only to our needs? We have to think about reducing unnecessary consumption while increasing employment. Our economy is linked to wasteful and unnecessary consumption. How do we stop the economy from ruining our natural environment?
Twyg will continue to focus on small, local brands that are producing ethical and environmentally conscious goods — ones that last. We want to help them develop their markets and to persuade our readers to spend their money on these brands. What next? Going forward there is a need to understand how we can help a just transition. How do we reduce inequality and poverty? What does an ethical, sustainable and green economy look like in South Africa? And what can we do to facilitate it?
Q > What role do partnerships and collaboration play in helping TWYG to achieve its goals?
A > These are very important to us. We don’t rely on the conventional advertising model for revenue. We have worked on contracts, projects and sponsorships with other NGOs and brands. Partnerships are also important as we are a small team, and working with other organisations often means we can share resources — even a conversation unpacking a difficult topic is a shared resource.
Q > Which unsustainable/harmful practices in fashion do you feel need to be addressed most urgently?
A > Hyper-consumption. Which leads to my current obsession: textile waste. How much is there, and what on earth can we do with it? So little is actually recycled.
The most sustainable fashion is already in your wardrobe!
Q > Stella McCartney was recently quoted in the ‘Financial Times’ as saying: “I barely even know what the word ‘sustainable’ means any more. The majority of people who say they’re doing a sustainable thing, if you ask one question, it will pretty much fall down at the first hurdle… It’s a bit tiring to see people’s overuse of these terms and really not have any substance to back it up.” How can greenwashing and exploitation of this term in the industry be tackled? And what tools are available to consumers for them to determine whether or not a brand’s claims of being sustainable are justified?
A > I think this comment is a little disingenuous: “I barely even know what the word ‘sustainable’ means anymore”. Sustainability is pretty much common sense but for anyone making or producing things it’s difficult to achieve sustainability — especially if you’re a big fashion brand. Don’t get me wrong, I think Stella does an amazing job. She has been a leader in the global north for decades. She invests in innovation and new technologies which are ground-breaking. But she’s making clothes and lots of them! Sustainability is a journey and is approached in different ways by different companies: be it energy, waste, new technologies, trying out new business models… or closing down. Some brands have the resources to approach sustainability from multiple angles. But others can only achieve gains step-by-step. And often this leads to accusations of greenwashing.
That said, we have to be continuously on the alert for greenwashing [and colour and pink washing]. Ask the difficult questions. Research. It’s not always easy especially with new innovations. I recently investigated a new fabric which is touted as an eco-fabric. It’s definitely vegan, but because of its high content of virgin plastic, it can’t be eco-friendly. The company is committed to further research and it will probably be producing a green fabric in years to come as it improves its science. The science behind the fabric and the terms and labels and tests etc are complicated — I consulted two PhD scientists…
Q > What are the biggest obstacles in the way of a more sustainable fashion industry, both in South Africa and around the world, and how can these be addressed?
A > In South Africa, I believe the biggest obstacles are the lack of access to preferred fibres and the lack of solutions to textile recycling. There are a few recyclers, including Rewoven, but they can only work with a few textiles. Most blends are not recyclable here.
We have great natural animal fibres, but they are expensive for our independent designers. We have a growing cotton industry, but this is BCI (the Better Cotton Initiative) cotton, not organic cotton. I believe we have the potential to develop a hemp industry. We’re doing research into this.
Globally, I believe the biggest obstacle is the marketing of and constructed obsession with cheap, trendy clothing that supports the manufacturing of cheap, unsustainable clothing. This obsession supports cheap unethical labour and untraceable supply chains… This leads to questions about the appropriateness of the capitalist economic system. Who is getting rich off the back of unethical labour and the destruction of the environment?
Q > What role can government regulation and/or industry bodies (like associations or certification schemes) play in promoting sustainable practices?
A > Government has a big role to play. Through policies like extended producer responsibility (in the plastic industry), the introduction of masterplans including one for the retail, clothing and textile industry, and capital investment, it can provide a context for promoting sustainable practices. I like the idea of mutually-supportive associations where people share knowledge. This can help facilitate and hasten the transition to a sustainable future.
I’m a little cautious of certification schemes. Recently the Higgs Index and BCI have been criticised for not only their own lack of transparency but for also not taking into account the complex nature of sustainability. Complexity is an important concept when we think about sustainability. We might think we’re doing the right thing, but this could have a negative effect somewhere else.
Q > In which ways is sustainable fashion different in SA when compared to the sector in Europe or North America; in which ways is it similar?
A > The primary difference is our different context: we’re the most unequal society in the world, with awful levels of unemployment and poverty. And unfortunately because of our dependence on fossil fuels, the use of poor quality coal and old power stations, we are one of the world’s highest carbon emitters per unit of GDP (not per capita)… These are issues we have to address urgently, and sustainably. None of this is easy. We need to focus on growing the sector to create meaningful jobs. The sector in other parts of the world needs to focus on slowing its growth — it needs to produce less, better.
The similarities: Our minds are being colonised by big brands.
Q > Outside of South Africa, are there any exciting examples of sustainable fashion on the African continent that you’ve observed?
A > So many. There are so many exciting brands like Nkwo and IAMISIGO. I love what The Slum Studio is doing at the intersection of research into the second clothing market in West Africa, art and fashion. I learn so much from these brands, as I do from Hadeel Osman and Sunny Dolat and Rudo Nondo.
Q > In addition to TWYG (of course!), which resources (could be books, magazines, websites, an influencer’s social media account…) do you recommend for people interested in learning more about sustainable fashion?
A > Of course, Fashion Revolution is excellent. Internationally I also follow ReMake and Eco-Age. The Sourcing Journal and Vogue Business are really good for international sustainable news. I’m a member of the Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion which was co-founded by Kate Fletcher whose work I admire and respect. Her work is rooted in ”nature’s principles and engaged with the cultural and creative forces of fashion and design”. The union was founded in response to the mainstream discussion about sustainability being framed within business, without asking questions about the nature of business itself.
But I’m much more interested in what’s going on in Africa — the issues are different, and the nexus of culture, indigenous knowledge and sustainability in fashion is so textured and beautiful. Industrie Africa is great. Sunny Dolat in Kenya. Hadeel Osman in Sudan. Lagos Fashion Week. The Fashion Agent and Future of Fashion in South Africa.
Outside of fashion, I’ve just read Wanted Dead or Alive by Gregory Mthembu-Salter which is about South Africa’s relationship to cattle. Such an important read… “Cattle should remain wanted and treasured… More as living assets, kept in modest numbers on land where crops will not thrive, whose beef is eaten rarely — and, when it is, is savoured.” Perhaps this can be used as a metaphor for everything we buy and own: few, treasure and savour!
May has been working in big and medium-sized mainstream media organisations for more than 20 years. When she left her day job in mid 2017, she launched Twyg. At the core of the stories she publishes on her platform is a commitment to exploring ways we can live well now while ensuring a better future. When she’s not producing content for her site, she’s freelancing for newspapers and magazines. She is a graduate of Stellenbosch University, University of South Africa and University of London. She lives in Cape Town, South Africa.
