Anthony Smith of 2Bop – street wear label based in Cape Town was crowned the winner of 2018 Threads – Stitched by Standard Bank accelerator programme.
The announcement ceremony took place on Wednesday evening at a special venue in Rosebank. The ceremony was attended by A-list celebs; Maps Maponyane, Loyiso Bala, Trevor Stuurman, Raphael Benza, Micky Costy, Masechaba Ndlovu and Bridget Masinga who was the MC for the night.
Judges, Timothy Maurice Webster, creative Jacqui Burger, Vincent Hoogduijin, and Maxhosa fashion designer Laduma Ngxokolo were also present to congratulate Smith.
Smith received a Mercedes-Benz ambassadorship which comes with a brand-new vehicle for a year-long period, a Standard Bank curated SME start-up pack, and international trade trip to Europe, where he will present his businesses to wholesale buyers and retailers, a high-impact private distribution network, and access to industry trade fairs.
The finalists (selected from over 400 entries across SA) participated in a curriculum which covers the broad swathe of business operations, including financing and retaining employees, lean manufacturing, eCommerce and specialised procurement methods and marketing.
Inspired by the confounding statistic that the sub-Saharan African fashion industry represents a lamentable 1% of the USD 3 tn global fashion industry, Threads – Stitched by Standard Bank was conceptualised to support up-and-coming fashion entrepreneurs in transforming their growing businesses into powerful, profitable fashion brands.
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