Groundswell of local support for local labels pays dividends By Opinion By Eustace Mashimbye IS IT just me, or is there a small but growing, noticeable ground swell of support for local homegrown brands coming from some very influential local quarters? There was a time, we felt at Proudly South African, that our local personalities were denying their own, choosing expensive imported labels, especially of clothing and apparel, over home-grown excellence. Ask many of the brands that are now well established (or even some, who, because of lack of support or endorsement by fellow South Africans have fallen by the wayside) how they were overlooked in the past, by celebrities, retailers, social media influencers and anyone else, including ordinary consumers who could have helped them up the ladder of success but chose not to.