South Africa’s pioneering sustainable fashion awards return for its eight edition, with new categories celebrating artisanal practice, innovation and fashion across the continent.
The Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards 2026 are now open for nominations, celebrating the designers, makers, retailers, students, tastemakers and changemakers challenging business as usual and helping shape a more sustainable, circular and regenerative fashion industry.
Now in their eighth edition, the Awards recognise people and organisations working towards a fashion and textile industry that is kind, fair, inclusive, diverse, nature-friendly and circular.
“Since we launched the awards eight years ago, our judges have identified people and organisations working towards a fashion and textile industry that is kind, fair, inclusive, diverse, nature-friendly and circular. They are added to our growing ecosystem and trusted online directory,” says Jackie May, the director of Twyg.
This year, the Awards continue to broaden the conversation about what sustainable fashion can be, with a particular focus on artisanal practice, innovation and the richness of fashion and textile production across Africa.
Nominations close on Wednesday, 14 October 2026.
How to enter
You do not need to submit garments or prepare a traditional portfolio to enter.
Nominees can nominate themselves or a peer and complete the relevant Twyg entry form, providing information about their work and demonstrating how it meets the criteria for their chosen category.
View the 2026 categories and nomination forms:
https://twyg.co.za/twyg-sustainable-fashion-awards-2026-nominations/
Entries will be assessed against pre-defined criteria, including quality and design, ethical labour, transparency, resource use, material sourcing, waste and pollution, environmental and climate impact, and sustainable and circular practice.
The 2026 categories
The 2026 Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards comprise nine open categories:
● Accessory Award: this award celebrates accessory brands that combine quality, durability and thoughtful design with ethical labour practices, responsible materials and consideration of end-of-life.
● Artisanal Fashion Award celebrating designers and makers using artisanal and craft techniques, including weaving, beading, embroidery, botanical dyeing and other traditional and contemporary practices. The Award recognises the skills, knowledge, people and cultural heritage embedded in craft.
● Emerging Designer Award recognising designers at the beginning of establishing their brands who demonstrate creativity, quality and a commitment to environmental, social and cultural responsibility.
● Fashion Innovation Award recognising innovative approaches to fashion’s environmental and social challenges, including new materials, technologies, construction techniques, waste reduction and circular design.
● Pan-African Award celebrating a designer or fashion brand from an African country other than South Africa that is contributing to a more responsible African fashion ecosystem and supporting local production, skills, livelihoods, craft and value chains.
● Retail Award recognising retailers and retail initiatives using fashion retail as a force for environmental and social good, including through resale, rental, repair, swapping and other circular models.
● Student Award celebrating students at South African academic institutions who are using sustainable and circular design principles to challenge conventional approaches to fashion.
● Tastemaker Award recognising photographers, stylists, influencers, writers, thought-leaders and content creators who promote sustainable, circular, local and African fashion and help shift the conversation around responsible production and consumption.
● Trans-seasonal Design Award celebrating versatile, timeless and durable fashion that challenges the trend-driven cycles of fast fashion.
Celebrating African fashion futures
The Awards reflect Twyg’s belief that transforming fashion requires more than designers alone.
It requires makers and craftspeople, producers and retailers, students and educators, communicators and entrepreneurs – people working across the fashion ecosystem to rethink how clothes and accessories are designed, made, sold, worn and valued.
The Artisanal Fashion Award celebrates designers and makers using artisanal and craft techniques, including weaving, beading, embroidery, botanical dyeing and other traditional and contemporary practices. The Award honours the legacy of the late South African designer Nicholas Coutts and his exploration of traditional craft and techniques in contemporary fashion.
The Pan-African Award recognises the growing movement of designers and fashion practitioners across the continent who are developing locally rooted alternatives to extractive fashion systems.
The Changemaker Award is not open for nominations. It is awarded to the strongest overall candidate emerging from the eligible categories and recognises an exceptional contribution to changing the fashion system through sustainable, circular, ethical and/or regenerative practice.
The Changemaker will receive a cash prize of R100 000.
The Pan-African Award is not eligible for consideration for the Changemaker Award due to logistical considerations.
The 2026 winners will be announced on 19 November, and a celebration will hosted in Cape Town on the same day.
Nominations close: Wednesday, 14 October 2026
View the full list of categories and nomination forms:
https://twyg.co.za/twyg-sustainable-fashion-awards-2026-nominations/
For awards and editorial information:
Karina@spreadcomms.co.za 084 347 3358