{"id":{"repo_id":"cape-town","oai_identifier":"oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/8115"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/cape-town/oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/8115","repository":{"repo_id":"cape-town","name":"University of Cape Town","base_url":"https://open.uct.ac.za/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Design houses in the Cape Town clothing value chain of production","abstract":"This exploratory study aimed to investigate the role that design houses play in the Cape Town clothing value chain of production. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants, buyers in clothing retail companies, heads of design rooms in design houses, and homeworkers. Findings reveal that design houses act as intermediaries between retailers and clothing manufacturers or between retailers and homeworkers. In their latter role design houses are forging links between the informal and formal clothing economy. As in buyer-driven chains of production, retailers in the clothing value chain wield a substantial amount of power in determining prices. It was found that design houses are not completely powerless in their relationship with retailers, in fact, they posses knowledge that enables them to bargain over prices. The relationship between design houses and homeworkers was found to be an oppressive one, with homeworkers possessing little to no bargaining power. The increase in the number of design houses in Cape Town has assisted in the survival of the industry in the face of a number of difficulties. The continued presence of design houses creates the potential for development in the industry.","abstract_html":"This exploratory study aimed to investigate the role that design houses play in the Cape Town clothing value chain of production. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants, buyers in clothing retail companies, heads of design rooms in design houses, and homeworkers. Findings reveal that design houses act as intermediaries between retailers and clothing manufacturers or between retailers and homeworkers. In their latter role design houses are forging links between the informal and formal clothing economy. As in buyer-driven chains of production, retailers in the clothing value chain wield a substantial amount of power in determining prices. It was found that design houses are not completely powerless in their relationship with retailers, in fact, they posses knowledge that enables them to bargain over prices. The relationship between design houses and homeworkers was found to be an oppressive one, with homeworkers possessing little to no bargaining power. The increase in the number of design houses in Cape Town has assisted in the survival of the industry in the face of a number of difficulties. The continued presence of design houses creates the potential for development in the industry.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Zimba, Machilu"],"institution":"Department of Sociology","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Godfrey, Shane"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2008,"date_issued":"2008","date_published":"2008","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:52Z","subjects":[],"languages":["eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8115","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Godfrey, Shane"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Zimba, Machilu"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2014-10-06T11:20:34Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-10-06T11:20:34Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2008"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.department","label":"Dc Publisher Department","values":["Department of Sociology"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of Cape Town"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Master Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Masters"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["MSocSc"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["eng"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8115"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Includes abstract.","Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-81)."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This exploratory study aimed to investigate the role that design houses play in the Cape Town clothing value chain of production. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants, buyers in clothing retail companies, heads of design rooms in design houses, and homeworkers. Findings reveal that design houses act as intermediaries between retailers and clothing manufacturers or between retailers and homeworkers. In their latter role design houses are forging links between the informal and formal clothing economy. As in buyer-driven chains of production, retailers in the clothing value chain wield a substantial amount of power in determining prices. It was found that design houses are not completely powerless in their relationship with retailers, in fact, they posses knowledge that enables them to bargain over prices. The relationship between design houses and homeworkers was found to be an oppressive one, with homeworkers possessing little to no bargaining power. The increase in the number of design houses in Cape Town has assisted in the survival of the industry in the face of a number of difficulties. The continued presence of design houses creates the potential for development in the industry."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Design houses in the Cape Town clothing value chain of production"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Godfrey, Shane"],"dc:creator":["Zimba, Machilu"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2014-10-06T11:20:34Z"],"dc:date.available":["2014-10-06T11:20:34Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2008"],"dc:description":["Includes abstract.","Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-81)."],"dc:description.abstract":["This exploratory study aimed to investigate the role that design houses play in the Cape Town clothing value chain of production. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants, buyers in clothing retail companies, heads of design rooms in design houses, and homeworkers. Findings reveal that design houses act as intermediaries between retailers and clothing manufacturers or between retailers and homeworkers. In their latter role design houses are forging links between the informal and formal clothing economy. As in buyer-driven chains of production, retailers in the clothing value chain wield a substantial amount of power in determining prices. It was found that design houses are not completely powerless in their relationship with retailers, in fact, they posses knowledge that enables them to bargain over prices. The relationship between design houses and homeworkers was found to be an oppressive one, with homeworkers possessing little to no bargaining power. The increase in the number of design houses in Cape Town has assisted in the survival of the industry in the face of a number of difficulties. The continued presence of design houses creates the potential for development in the industry."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8115"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher.department":["Department of Sociology"],"dc:publisher.institution":["University of Cape Town"],"dc:title":["Design houses in the Cape Town clothing value chain of production"],"dc:type":["Master Thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["Masters"],"dc:type.qualificationname":["MSocSc"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:52Z"}