Sustainable Luxury in South Africa: The Twyg Platform

Abstract

This article investigates the digitisation of ethical luxury in South Africa, focusing on the case study of the media company Twyg. Twyg’s online platform and social media accounts, particularly Instagram, participate in the production and circulation of a discourse on developmental fashion informed by principles of circularity and respect for diversity. The article discusses the communication strategy that Twyg employs to construct a positive discourse around luxury brands as drivers of a specific South African model of sustainability that pursues quality and craftsmanship, while preserving a local circular economy. The article is based on the author’s interviews with Twyg’s founder, Jackie May, and on cultural analysis of the materials published on the platform and Instagram channel. The discussion on sustainability builds on luxury studies, slow fashion studies, and the current debate on decolonialism, making a contribution to the literature on digital luxury in the global South. In particular, it expands the study of small independent actors, offering a reading that complements the more mainstream focus on big brands and international stakeholders.

Keywords

• slow fashion
• sustainable fashion
• digital fashion studies
• south africa
• ethical luxury