Founded in 2018 by creative director Jesmine Davids, Rebirth SA has emerged from the streets of Johannesburg to carve out a distinct space in South African fashion, where sustainability, reinvention and self-expression collide. What began as a project to support Davids through her final year at university has grown into a full-fledged streetwear brand with a conscience, and a mission to challenge the fashion status quo.
Reinvention as Ethos
At its heart, Rebirth SA isn’t just about new clothes. It’s about transformation. The very name signals a rebirth: stepping out of the expected, shedding wasteful consumption, and embracing clothing that tells a story. “Rebirth means being both original and yourself,” Davids explains — a philosophy rooted in identity, resilience and authenticity.
Denim is her material of choice, not by accident but by conviction. Recognising denim’s heavy environmental footprint, Davids turns to preloved jeans and discarded garments, disassembling them and re-imagining them into new forms. The result is fresh, street-ready pieces imbued with history and renewed purpose.
Rebirth SA does not chase seasonal trends. Rather, it creates unisex, season-less silhouettes — oversized streetwear, customised fits, and timeless cuts that defy fast-fashion’s throwaway culture.
Sustainability as Design Principle
For Rebirth SA, sustainability is not a slogan but a practice woven into every step — from sourcing to final stitch. Fabrics come from thrifted, donated denim and waste textiles. Trims are rescued from older garments: buttons, zips, offcuts. The brand avoids harsh chemical dyes, favouring natural dyes such as those derived from fruits and vegetables.
Production is deliberately slow and local — each piece is handcrafted, often in small batches, to reduce waste and honour quality over quantity. This commitment resonates not only with environmentally conscious consumers, but with anyone who sees clothes as memories, stories, and expressions of identity rather than disposable commodities.
Streetwear Meets Soul, Heritage & Community
Rebirth SA’s aesthetic isn’t purely utilitarian. Each collection is steeped in personal and cultural significance. The AW23 “Coffee” collection, for instance, drew inspiration from the streets, youth sport like soccer, and Davids’s own Muslim and Khoisan roots. Paisley motifs — drawn from Quranic mosaics and traditional doek patterns — meet earthy coffee-dyed palettes of cream, sand, brown and black.
In these garments, streetwear becomes more than a style: it becomes heritage, history, community and conversation. Rebirth SA clothes are made for the street, but they carry the weight and beauty of identity, memory and reinvention.
From Thrift Bags to Runway: Recognition & Reach
What started from humble beginnings — collecting donation bags and reworking wardrobes — has earned Rebirth SA a place on the runway circuit. The brand has shown at South African Fashion Week, presenting collections that draw attention not just for their aesthetics, but for their ethical backbone.
Industry recognition continues to follow, with Rebirth SA often highlighted as one of the upcycling brands reshaping how South Africa thinks about fashion waste.
Why Rebirth SA Matters
• Circular by design: instead of consuming new materials and contributing to waste, Rebirth SA gives clothes a second — or third — life, proving style doesn’t need virgin fabric.
• Unisex, inclusive, and seasonless: by relying on timeless cuts and oversized fits, the brand rejects narrow categories and fast cycles, favouring longevity and accessibility.
• Cultural and personal storytelling: through natural dyes, heritage motifs, and silhouettes inspired by the street, clothing becomes a medium for identity.
• Local upliftment, global message: in a world grappling with consumption and ecological crisis, Rebirth SA shows that fashion can be conscious, meaningful and rooted in community.
Rebirth SA isn’t just producing garments. It’s breathing new life into what’s discarded, reimagining identity, and building a bridge between streetwear and sustainability. In a landscape still fixated on trends and volume, Rebirth SA reminds us that what we wear can have soul, history and intention.
If fashion is about identities — personal, cultural, social — then Rebirth SA is doing more than stitching fabric together. It’s stitching stories, second chances, and a thoughtful future.