Sage & Sunday: Conscious clothing and shopping local in Cape Town
Written by: Al Clapper
By its very nature, fashion is ever-evolving. Trends come and go with the seasons and what is considered stylish today is old and tired tomorrow. However, as consumers increasingly prioritise ethical choices and environmental awareness, a move towards conscious clothing is sending waves of change across the industry. Meeting at the intersection of style and responsibility, Sage & Sunday is a local sustainable fashion brand that designs with the future in mind.
An ethos to live by
Based in Woodstock, Cape Town, Sage & Sunday crafts their collections exclusively out of hemp linen and cruelty-free cork leather. Their company ethos is reflective of a lifestyle that, as their website aptly puts it, “values both design and dignity.”
The man behind Sage & Sunday
Jakob Slabbert, the creative genius behind the ethics-led label, was raised in Cederberg, Western Cape. He grew up on a farm and, as a result, formed a deep bond with nature. Slabbert’s entrepreneurial streak runs deep and dates back to his childhood, when he started his first business: A small shop within his community selling eggs laid by his own chickens and a selection of his favourite sweets.
After college, he spent a number of years working 16-hour shifts in the film industry. Consequently, his exhaustion resulted in him quitting his job, packing his bags and moving to a tiny village in Vietnam. Here he was exposed to huge hemp farms. Paying close attention to how the locals interacted with their natural environment, he learned all about hemp’s properties as a sustainable source of material for producing clothing. Following his stint in Vietnam, he visited India and fell in love with their locally produced hemp linen attire. Evidently, he restocked his wardrobe, reinvented his style and returned to South Africa with purpose.
An ever-growing empire
In 2020, Slabbert founded Sage & Sunday and in four short years he, along with his hand-picked team of local artisans, has built a significant empire purely focused on conscious clothing. When he started the brand, Slabbert was personally shipping orders from his bedroom, with limited distribution. Now, Sage & Sunday is one of only two stores on the street-facing front of the iconic Woodstock Exchange – a thriving creative, design and tech hub for local businesses, shipping countrywide, as well as to Namibia.
Transparency is key
Today, the large, beautifully designed atelier, Sage & Sunday uniquely offers consumers the opportunity to immerse themselves in the brand. Clients can pop in to touch the soft, durable hemp fabric, prance about in the stylish designs and fit on the smooth, light cork leather sandals. From chatting to the seamstresses and peeking around the cobbler’s workstation to engaging with Slabbert himself, you’ll find that theirs is a concept of ultra transparency.
Ultimately, Sage & Sunday encourages you to rethink your relationship with fashion and to embrace a wardrobe that speaks to a stylish, greener future.
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