Next time you gleefully open that package from Shein and Temu, spare a thought for the 8,000 jobs lost in retail and production over the past five years since these two Asia-based e-commerce platforms arrived on our shores.
That sobering fact, contained in a recent report, was shared by Eustace Mashimbye, the CEO of Proudly SA at the climax of a cheeky campaign aimed at encouraging South Africans to spend their Randelas closer to home.
Called the Proudly SA Local Fashion Police, this three-month drive got the public to post images or videos of themselves in locally made ensembles on social media, with a panel of fashion designer judges tasked with picking the best of the lot.