Latest news with #SuzyHazelwood
IOL News
24-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- IOL News
Graduation expenses: what parents are willing to pay for their children's big day
Professional hair and make-up can be expensive. Image: Suzy Hazelwood/ FOR graduation day, many graduates and their families incur huge costs to make the day special. Some of the costs include clothing, hair, make-up, gown hire, and photography. Many parents said that making their children happy on their special day was their main aim, so the cost did not matter. Samantha Naicker, a single mother and content creator on TikTok (SassySam), showcased her daughter's graduation journey and spent R7 500 to kit out her daughter. 'When we add up all the costs, like hair, make-up and dress we were shocked to see it came out to R7 500. But it was a once in a lifetime experience and I was happy to see my daughter so excited. In my opinion, the cost was worth it as long as my daughter was happy,' said Naicker. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading She said she had been saving for the occasion. 'My daughter worked hard to get her degree, so she deserved to receive the happiness and grandeur on graduation day. As a single mother, I always made sure my daughter had the best of everything,' she added. Jessica Raghunan said the cost of graduation was high. 'There is a big cost involved when getting ready for graduation. Putting an outfit together with the accessories may seem small in the beginning, but the costs were high in the end. But I did not count the costs. It made my daughter happy and that was what mattered the most,' said Raghunan. Annelissa Moodley, a graduate, said she tried to minimise the costs for her special day. 'I did not want my parents to be put in expense, so I decided to wear what I already owned. It was an outfit that I had worn for my cousin's wedding. I did my own make-up and hair. I don't condemn people spending large amounts of money for graduation but I just did not see the point. 'The make-up and hair would be washed off a few hours later and the dress packed away. It did not seem feasible to me. However, I did put a lot of effort in my appearance, as I do love doing my own make-up,' said Moodley. She said she was glad to have saved money with her clothes, but photography and gown hire were costly. 'I was not able to save money with photos and the gown hire since it was essential. I needed the memories of my day. Some things you cannot cut costs around, and I am happy that I spent money in the appropriate places while still making my day special,' said Moodley. THE POST
Fashion United
24-04-2025
- General
- Fashion United
'Mend in Public Day' - when repairing one's clothes becomes a revolutionary act
Just a generation or two ago, it was common practice to mend an old garment at home – broken zippers, torn knee or elbow areas, ripped hems, loose buttons – none of this was a problem. Every household relied on their darning and sewing utensils, and many even had a sewing machine. Difficult cases were handed over to the trusted tailor, which could still be found on almost every street corner. Today, the situation is different – garments with even minor problems like a loose button end up in the back of the closet and later in the trash. Why is this? What has changed? Home sewing machine. Credits: Eduard Kalesnik / Pexels On the one hand, people hardly have time to sit down and mend clothes. On the other, repairing clothes is no longer a 'cool' leisure activity; it has gone out of fashion, and with it, the skill. After all, it is an art to mend a hole so that the repair is barely visible and it is covered for good. Or to sew a hem straight back on, or even to make clothes tighter or looser. The main reason, however, is that clothing (unlike most other consumer goods) has not become more expensive over the decades, but rather cheaper. This is due to factors such as mass production, globalisation and the rise of fast fashion. This means that while a t-shirt cost 10 to 12 euros (or whatever the equivalent in the local currency was) back in 1980, it can be had for half that price today. This has resulted in people buying two or more t-shirts instead of one; in fact, we buy more of everything, we have too much - pants, shirts, t-shirts, skirts, outerwear, etc. Our wardrobes are bursting at the seams and when an item of clothing is no longer usable because it has a stain, a button is missing or a hem is ripped, we throw it out instead of mending it. We are secretly relieved to have reduced our clothing heap a little. 'Mend in Public Day' on 26th April So the question of mending does not arise for most consumers. Unless it becomes a public, revolutionary act. Like this Saturday, April 26, for example, when the non-profit organisation Fashion Revolution is once again calling for a 'Mend in Public Day' as part of Fashion Revolution Week, a whole day dedicated to collectively repairing and beautifying garments. For those who have forgotten how to sew, darn and be creative with a needle (or perhaps were never taught), there are instructions, tips and tricks. Sewing kit. Credits: Suzy Hazelwood / Pexels In the UK, US, Canada, Europe, Asia - worldwide, in fact - Fashion Revolution is organising its 'Mend in Public Day' again, which was a hit when it was started last year. In many cities around the globe, it will be all about repairing and beautifying clothes as a communal activity. Materials are often provided, as are snacks and drinks, as well as information about garments and the garment industry. Clothes can also be swapped. Detailed information about what is happening in individual cities and where one can swap clothes, repair them, participate in discussions and learn more can be found in the 'Events' section of the Fashion Revolution website. Fashion companies offer repair services Fashion companies have also realised that it is more sustainable to offer repairs for the garments they produce than to bombard customers with ever-increasing quantities of new goods. Just yesterday, for example, Hamburg-based fashion group Tom Tailor announced a partnership with Dutch repair platform Mended, and resale platform Vestiaire Collective has been collaborating with the repair and alteration platform Sojo since June of last year to provide Vestiaire customers with access to tailoring and repair services. Swedish slow fashion brand Asket, British footwear brand Dr. Martens and outerwear specialist Patagonia all offer repair services. Even clothing retailers with great ambitions for worldwide market penetration such as Decathlon and Uniqlo, are now focusing on repairs: Decathlon through repair workshops in stores and Uniqlo through its Studios, which offer repair, alteration and donation options.
