Get to know the global experts set to judge 2024 Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards

Leading international and African minds will convene soon to judge this year’s Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards. Once the panel has completed the adjudication process, the finalists will be announced on 12 November and the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 20 November 2024 in Cape Town.

Now in its sixth edition, the pioneering Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards are dedicated to honouring South Africa’s most innovative and conscious fashion designers, brand owners and thought leaders across 10 categories. The awards amplify the voices taking ownership of sustainable practices, social impact and positive transformation in fashion, textiles, design and retail.

To judge the annual awards, Twyg founder Jackie May engages a set panel of highly respected industry leaders for an unbroken three-year period, as this ‘time span gives South African fashion designers enough time and opportunity to nominate their work to be considered by the jury.’ The current jury is the second panel to have been appointed for a three-year period in the history of the awards.

Says May: ‘The jury is carefully selected to ensure different perspectives and expertise. We currently have an academic, a circularity expert and an international fashion consultant, as well as Africa’s leading fashion voice, along with a fashion editor and an international fashion retailer. Collectively, they bring their experience, intellect and supportive hearts into this process.’
For 2024, the returning judges are: Rewoven CEO and founder Esethu Cenga; Swiss-born creative consultant, editor and broadcaster Mimma Viglezio who is based in London; Industrie Africa founder Nisha Kanabar; Omoyemi Akerele of Lagos Fashion Week and Style House Files; academic, entrepreneur and thought leader Dr Sipho Mbatha; and Times Media Group fashion director Sharon Armstrong. Each juror comes with a formidable pedigree.
Rewoven CEO and founder Esethu Cenga

A deep passion for social advocacy and environmental sustainability led Esethu Cenga to initiate her startup, Rewoven, along with co-founders Tshepo Bhengu and Lonwabo Mgoduso. In her role as CEO, she leads Rewoven’s efforts to transform South Africa’s textile waste into recycled fabrics, clothing products and fibres sold to the public and to like-minded businesses. Additionally, Rewoven offers textile waste recycling as a service to support sustainable supply chains.

Named one of Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 2024, Cenga’s growing list of accolades includes being listed as one of Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans in 2020, and being awarded the inaugural Mandela Rhodes Foundation’s Äänit Prize for positive social impact. Cenga is an Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Fellow and holds a Master of Commerce in Economic Development from the University of Cape Town (UCT). Additionally, she co-founded and directed the  Future of Fashion Indaba, which serves as a think tank where clothing industry stakeholders envision a thriving and ethical fashion landscape for generations to come.

Swiss-born creative consultant, editor and broadcaster Mimma Viglezio

Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Bulgari are just a few of the international fashion houses in Mimma Viglezio’s portfolio of work. As a Swiss-born creative consultant, editor and broadcaster with more than 32 years of experience in Paris, London and Italy, she has honed her global expertise in the business of fashion. Having held the title of editor-in-chief for LULA magazine, SHOWStudio, and Digital Content for Tomorrow London, Viglezio is an advisor for rising designers and fashion start-ups focusing on product, communications and investment. Today, she sits on the board of directors at fashion business accelerator, Tomorrow London Ltd., and advises the board of directors at Modern Meadow, an innovative company developing sustainable high-quality materials for the fashion and textile industries through biofabrication.

Additionally, Viglezio is chair of the board of trustees of Seja, a sustainable fashion company focusing on replacing synthetic materials with natural and biodegradable alternatives. Viglezio furthers her advocacy through her role as a member of the leadership committee of non-profit organisation, Women for Women UK, which trains, educates and provides resources to women in conflict-affected areas as they gain economic independence.

Industrie Africa founder Nisha Kanabar

Industrie Africa was founded by Nisha Kanabar in 2018. What started as a showcase for diverse African fashion has evolved into a powerful e-commerce platform, unlocking global economic opportunities for our continent’s most innovative designers. The platform has been recognised as Best E-commerce Platform at the 2021 Africa Fashion Awards and Innovative Business of the Year at the 2020 African Excellence Awards among others. As CEO, Kanabar has brought together more than 200 sustainably-minded fashion and lifestyle brand names in a digital catalogue, challenging Western perceptions of African design as a single style or approach. She continues to excel at boosting the international visibility of our designers.

With origins in Tanzania, Kanabar’s understanding of Africa’s nuances are rooted in first-hand perceptions. Having graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York, she built a career in luxury fashion and publishing at American Vogue, Vogue India, Saint Laurent and Stella McCartney, among other renowned names in fashion and journalism. With a goal to disrupt racial preconceptions and elevate conscious design, Kanabar is leveraging her position as an industry leader to build an infrastructure for regenerative income for Industrie Africa’s brand partners and the world of fashion.

Omoyemi Akerele of Lagos Fashion Week and Style House Files

Omoyemi Akerele is the CEO and founder of Lagos Fashion Week and Style House Files, a business development agency committed to advancing the Nigerian and African fashion industries. These efforts earned her a coveted position in the New African Magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential Africans in 2023 as well as inclusion in the Business of Fashion Global 500 since 2017, an index highlighting key players in global fashion. With more than two decades of experience driving innovation and sustainability within the African fashion and textile industry, Akerele is an advocate for circular fashion and youth development.

Drawing on this, along with her legal and economic expertise earned at Warwick University, Akerele serves on advisory councils for multiple major organisations. These include global non-profit Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Mastercard Foundation in Nigeria, which works to empower the country’s emergent workforce; and the State of Fashion, a Netherlands-based platform exploring alternatives to the current fashion system. This sought-after keynote speaker has taken the stage at AFI Fashion Week and TEDx events, among others.

Academic, entrepreneur and thought leader Dr Sipho Mbatha

For the past 14 years, Dr Sipho Mbatha has cultivated a career as an accomplished academic entrepreneur focusing on sustainable economic and socio economic development in South Africa. Dr Mbatha is a member of Cumulus, a leading association of art and design education and research led by a dedicated team of educators from around the world. His involvement extends to the Design Education Forum of Southern Africa (DEFSA) and the Black Management Forum (BMF), an event geared towards South Africa’s leaders in business. Additionally, Dr Mbatha is a reviewer for two journals: African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, and the Industry and Higher Education Journal. He has been selected as a panelist at The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Regional Conference on Arts Education in Africa and the International Conference on Textiles and Fashion in Tianjin, China. Today, his work is dedicated to mentoring rising academics on the topics he has researched most extensively: sustainability, competitive advantage, national systems of innovation and more.

Times Media Group fashion director Sharon Armstrong

Times Media Group fashion director Sharon Armstrong has a shining portfolio of international brands behind her name. She has collaborated with luxury fashion houses Dolce&Gabbana, Chanel and Louis Vuitton, among others, on world-class editorials published in titles including Elle, Glamour and Marie Claire. Along with her leadership roles as fashion director at Business Day’s Wanted, Sunday Times LifeStyle and Sowetan S Mag, she is the mind behind The Edit, a Sunday Times publication, where she focuses on local and global fashion and beauty trends in her capacity as its editor.

Armstrong has been a prominent voice in South African fashion for more than two decades, enhancing its landscape with her singular styling sensibilities and contributing to major events in the annual design and fashion calendar. Providing mentorship and guidance to fashion students, and promoting inclusivity and crafting compelling fashion narratives, are hallmarks of her extensive work to elevate the South African fashion industry through her editorial and styling work.

The panel is currently evaluating this year’s list of nominees, capitalising on the breadth of hard-earned expertise between them. With a growing number of driven entrepreneurs, creatives, designers and brand names disrupting the fashion and textile industries, the incumbent winners are certain to impress the public.

The Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards celebrate the people and brands dedicated to building a more inclusive and eco-friendly future in fashion, bringing their efforts into the spotlight. For more information visit https://twyg.co.za/