Our impact Archive - Page 2 of 4

Markham’s partnership with What About the Boys?

September 27, 2023

Gender-based violence is a scourge effecting communities across South Africa and so Markham has partnered with What About The Boys? to eaffect much-needed change.

What About The Boys? aims to tackle gender-based violence by working with thousands of high school boys across the country. The programme is designed to guide boys to break free from the rigid and often damaging stereotypes of traditional masculinity that contribute to GBV.

This year Markham and What About The Boys? aim to raise R1.35 million to combat gender-based violence. By purchasing a branded tee or sweater, customers can show their support and solidarity while advocating for change. Markham donates R50 per sale of the tee and R100 per sale of the sweater towards driving this great initiative.

Let’s make a difference and create a better world… together.

For more information about What About The Boys? visit https://www.primestarsdigital.co.za/what-about-the-boys/

The FIX Upcycling Designer Showcase

September 18, 2023

The FIX is committed to showcasing local manufacturing, local employment, uplifting communities and supporting local skills development. The FIX seeks to provide opportunities to empower youth whilst being a proudly South African brand. One of these projects is The FIX Upcycling Designer Showcase, which celebrates the talent of eight local designers using repurposed material to create cutting-edge fashion pieces. The designers are selected from nationally accredited tertiary institutions and are tasked with re-using and repurposing The FIX’s store window banners, made out of polynet fabrics, to create their own unique collections. This culminates in a fashion show hosted by The Fix which showcases their creations. The designers are further supported by the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) and TFG’s learnership and development programmes. The FIX has been on this journey for a couple of seasons, exploring the world of sustainable fashion. The FIX’s sub-brand, called Changes, speaks to using recycled fabrics and producing products locally. It has also evolved into collaborations with local graphic artists to interpret sustainability for the Changes range. The FIX’s Upcycling Designer Showcase is another example of how TFG is committed to local manufacturing, job creation, and supporting skills development.

Foschini launches first-ever entrepreneurial makeup artist competition, GlamouRise

September 12, 2023

Foschini, a leading name in women’s beauty and fashion, launched its inaugural self-made makeup artist competition, GlamouRise this year. The online competition celebrates creativity, self-expression, and the future stars of the makeup industry. In line with its deep commitment to the empowerment of women, Foschini launched the GlamouRise competition to create a platform for aspiring makeup artists to showcase their expertise and creativity, using Foschini All Woman makeup products. The competition kicked off during Women’s Month in August, issuing a clarion call to all budding makeup artists to pick up their brushes to paint a story that honours iconic women of the past and present. We are very proud to provide these artists with a platform to shine. For nearly 100 years, Foschini has been dedicated to empowering individuals to express their unique style and personality through fashion and beauty. More than just a glamorous contest, GlamouRise is a celebration of creativity, diversity, and the influence and impact that makeup has had in empowering individuals to express themselves. The winner receives an impressive line-up of prizes that will help them kickstart or further their makeup career.

Fabiani – 67 smiles, 67 Furbiani bears

July 18, 2023

For Mandela Day 2023, Fabiani created and donated 67 Furbiani bears to 67 children at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital.

Fabiani, in partnership with the TFG Foundation, has supported much-needed initiatives at The Children’s Hospital Trust for the past 15 years. Since 2008, Fabiani has run The Last Red Buttonhole Project, which contributes a percentage of the sale of every Fabiani shirt to The Children’s Hospital Trust.

The Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital is the largest children’s hospital in Africa and manages around 250 000 patients each year, the majority coming from disadvantaged communities.

With the support of Fabiani’s customers, the brand has donated over R1 million to The Children’s Hospital Trust, with an additional R250 000 going towards the advancement and expansion of the emergency centre to help the most critically ill and injured children.

This year, the aim was to bring a smile to the faces of the little ones who are patients. For 67 minutes on Mandela Day, the Fabiani family brought 67 smiles through the creation of 67 bears, with the help of Build a Bear.

Children at the hospital also got to build their own bears – and choose “A Llife in Style” Fabiani outfit for it to finish off the look. From there, each child and their bear got to pose and walk the “bearwalk’’. The kids even got a “Furbiani Passport” for their bears, to ensure that their furry friends travel through all their milestones.

Brands standing for sustainability

March 31, 2022

Our brands and merchants are championing sustainability. They call out new concepts, designs and fabrics that speak to our purpose and sustainability commitments.

When we claim sustainability attributes for any brands, we obtain certification whether it relates to recycling, water, energy use, emissions control or chemicals. During the 2022 financial year some of our brands did the following:

The Fix

Leading with its #DOWHATSRIGHT movement, The Fix is all about being conscious and making mindful choices. The brand champions the belief that sustainability should be affordable for the value market, recognising just how much millennials and Gen Z care about the future of our planet and communities.

The Fix was the first brand to adopt the Quick Response (QR) model at TFG and its Changes* range was the first of our more sustainable ranges for TFG Africa. The Changes* range ticks all the right boxes:

The fabric we use is 60% cotton that would normally be discarded in the clothing manufacturing process (we call it factory table waste).
The other 40% is recycled polyester content made from polyester chips.
The range is designed by TFG and made locally.

The Changes* range stands for:

Global thinking: “what we deliver lives far beyond a retail transaction”
Gender: “asking new questions”
Future: “as we move forward, we can set new rules and learn new lessons”

Join the #Dowhatsright movement

Markham

Make the SHIFT | Recreate the future.

Our sustainable range SHIFT, features fabric that is made of recycled content. The fabric is made of 60% recycled cotton and 40% recycled polyester material. By regenerating existing materials, we help divert plastic that would otherwise cause pollution. Markham is on a journey of change – we care about people and our planet. SHIFT stands for recycling, reusing and recreating the future. A chance to recreate the future with less impact on the environment.

The brand believes everyone can play a role – Help! Don’t Harm! SHIFT – RECREATE THE FUTURE WITH US.

Redbat Future

Denim is where we start the Redbat Future, which is all about more sustainability choices. We aim to redefine the way that our consumers perceive sustainability, understand it, experience it and ultimately live it. The way they look is important to our customers. They inspire people. They dress for where the future will take them. That is why we partner with them on the journey to a more sustainable future.

Together we can change an industry that is responsible for 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and consumes 215 trillion litres of water per year. We are saying yes to empowered youth who make better choices.

What makes RDBT Denim different? Less water, recycled materials, less harmful chemicals and less energy to produce. Read more

@Home

Feel good about your bed! @home launched a plain, reversible microfibre bedding range made from 100% recycled polyester. It’s earth-friendly and priced right. The fact that its recycled polyester makes it more sustainable, with a longer life-cycle and a lower carbon footprint. It is soft, smooth to touch, more stain resistant than other fabrics and easy to clean.

They also have bedding made from certified organic cotton. No artificial pesticides or fertilisers are used in cultivation of the organic cotton – a sophisticated choice with a reduced environmental impact as certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard. To add texture to your bedroom or living-room, their luxurious throws made from recycled polyester will keep you warm and cosy all winter. The recycled polyester is certified by the Global Recycling Standard.

A game changing partnership

March 31, 2022

It all started with the newest entrepreneur on the block: the Selling Seconds clothing shop in Khayelitsha and 40 cartons of clothes donated by TFG.

Khayelitsha is one of Cape Town’s fastest growing townships, but unemployment remains a key concern in this community. By helping a small enterprise get on its feet, TFG is helping to generate income for households, and is preventing textiles from going to waste and landfill.

Selling Seconds sells second-hand clothing or excess stock and employs 17 people. This includes five new jobs since TFG’s first donation in November 2021.

Their highlights:

All 17 Selling Seconds staff now generate additional monthly income which they use to purchase food, pay their funeral policies, enjoy entertainment and leisure activities, and assist their grandchildren and children financially. In addition, all participants report a sense of purpose and passion for the work they are doing.
We redesigned our shop and increased our opening hours from 9:00 to 15:00 and are open every Saturday to service those clients who cannot shop during working hours.
We do marketing and advertising in the form of flyers, Facebook, Instagram, and a newly designed Selling Seconds page.
Materials such as cardboard and plastic are recycled wherever possible and clothes in need of repair are fixed by two seamstresses in Woodstock – creating even more work and income for families.

Back to the fields and forests

March 31, 2022

The cotton that your linen, T-shirt, or pair of jeans is made from, comes from cotton farmed in more than 70 countries around the world. In the same way, paper packaging, bags, boxes and wooden furniture relies on forests and timber from all over the world.

Cotton fields and forests are not infinitely renewable. And the soil, water, air and nutrients that nurture them are also slowly being eroded through pollution and climate change.

For this reason, TFG Africa, along with TFG Australia and TFG London joined Better Cotton and also seeks to buys wood-derived products that are Forest Stewardship Council certified. This means that we have some comfort that farms, farming communities, forests and workers, are being protected and respected.

Better Cotton is sourced via a chain of custody model called mass balance. This means that Better Cotton is not physically traceable to end products, however, Better Cotton Farmers benefit from the demand for Better Cotton in equivalent volumes to those we ‘source.’

We are committed to sustainable sourcing and set our own ambitious targets. We want at least 50% of the cotton sourced for our TFG Africa and TFG Australia brands, and 100% sustainably sourced fibres for our TFG London brands by 2026 to be sustainable. We want to inspire our customers to live their best lives, knowing that they support farming and forest communities that are also able to make a decent living, have a strong voice in the supply chain and are able to meet future demand in a sustainable way.

Better and better

March 31, 2022

We are pleased to share that we improved our B-BBEE rating from Level 6 to Level 3, significantly raising the bar for major listed South African retailers.

For the financial year ended 31 March 2022, the commitment of the Group to transformation yielded a Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) verification score of 84,44 points out of 120 points – a significant increase from the previous year’s score of 72,25. This score coupled with the Group’s successful participation in the YES Initiative meant that the outcome achieved was a B-BBEE Level 3.

The YES Initiative is a collaboration between business and government to address youth unemployment. Our aim is to target unemployed youth who did not have the opportunity to train or study at a higher learning institute. In this way we create jobs, contribute to empowerment and help communities reduce reliance on social grants. 425 youth were retained during the 2022 financial year and 300 absorbed into our business.

The Black representation at both the Operating Board and executive management levels is being secured through a continued focus on diversity in the succession planning and talent management processes.

Employment equity remains a critical aspect of TFG’s transformation agenda, with a focus on our senior and middle management levels as well as people living with disabilities. We continue to work with our heads of business to incorporate transformation into their operational strategies. Our transformation drive this year delivered a sustained increase in the representation of Black employees within our senior, middle and junior management teams.

The Group continues to support the government’s strategy of job creation and skills development by investing in key skills required to sustain and grow the retail sector and its own workforce. This year, the Group made additional significant investments in Skills Development to support the employment, particularly of youth, through learnerships, internships and with a critical focus on people living with disabilities.

Other highlights for the year include creating more than 7 176 new jobs and workplace opportunities in South Africa. We increased our spend with small black-owned businesses by more than R2billion and invested R105million in social impact initiatives including enterprise and supplier development and support to communities and NGOs.

The Group continues to work with our relief agency partner Gift of the Givers to make donations towards various communities as part of their disaster relief efforts. Other socio-economic development initiatives included bursaries and other brand led initiatives aligned to our customers.

Link to our B-BBEE certificate – CLICK HERE.

Our transformation drive delivered a sustained increase in the representation of Black employees in our senior and middle management teams.

More jobs for better lives

March 31, 2022

The bright yellow canola fields surrounding Caledon in the Western Cape is the backdrop to one of South Africa’s success stories. 652 people in this community work for TFG’s Prestige Clothing factory.The factory has given them hope, jobs and skills. And now TFG plans to more than double the number of people employed in its factories by 2026.

Prestige Clothing Caledon is but one of TFG’s clothing factories, part of the largest apparel manufacturing group in South Africa. We have ambitious plans for further growth and job creation.

In the 2022 financial year we produced 15,7 million quick-response units in South Africa and are aiming to increase this to 30 million units by 2026.

We currently have 5 200 manufacturing employees in both TFG’s Prestige Clothing and our strategic CMTs – and our intention is to grow this to 11 200 by 2026.

This requires a highly effective recruitment, training and development plan.

Small enterprises are also part of our growth plans for local manufacturing. With the support of government, we are able to help develop suppliers and assist them with compliance and capacity planning.

By investing in local manufacturing – creating jobs and developing small businesses – we play our part in helping South Africans live better lives.

Find out more about a career at TFG – CLICK HERE.

Find out more about being a TFG supplier – CLICK HERE.

Our journey for seafarer rights

March 31, 2022

Two years ago at TFG London, we discovered just how little we knew about a major element in our supply chain: maritime transport. We knew that 90% of global trade relied on maritime transport but had very little understanding of what the two million seafarers’ lives and working conditions entailed.

The seafarer human right crisis was brought to the fore by COVID-19 travel restrictions, and again surfaced with the Ukrainian invasion. The global crew change crisis was one of the Top 10 Business and Human Rights Issues for 2021.

TFG London started working with logistics suppliers and other stakeholders to understand the challenge and take action. For the first time we started working with mapped routes and shipping data.

We collaborated with the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). TFG London also became a signatory to the Neptune Declaration on Seafarers Wellbeing and Crew Change and requires all our maritime logistics partners to adhere to the Maritime Labour Convention 2006. The latter defines minimum working and living standards for all seafarers working on ships.

In 2022 we focused on working with Anti-Slavery International and the ETI to convene and unite all Apparel and Textile members. We want to increase engagement around an action plan with suppliers based in neighbouring countries to Ukraine. We are campaigning to identify the conflict as a specific human rights risk for seafarers, particularly in the context of the ongoing crew change crisis. We aim to engage with charterers, suppliers of services, maritime transport providers and other involved parties to ensure seafarers:

Have adequate occupational health and safety and other protections, and communication facilities.
Receive full and timely compensation.
Have the opportunity to extend their contracts and remain onboard should they freely request to do so.
Are able to request repatriation to the closest possible border locality before the expiry of their contracts on compassionate grounds, at no cost to themselves.
Are able to exercise their right to refuse to sail.

Read more in our Modern Slavery Statement on our WEBSITE.

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