Stephen Grootes invites Founder and Creative Director of Naked Ape to share his journey in the fashion business and the world of luxury clothing.
The Money Show is a podcast hosted by well-known journalist and radio presenter, Stephen Grootes. He explores the latest economic trends, business developments, investment opportunities, and personal finance strategies. Each episode features engaging conversations with top newsmakers, industry experts, financial advisors, entrepreneurs, and politicians, offering you thought-provoking insights to navigate the ever-changing financial landscape.
For Shaldon Kopman, fashion has never been purely about aesthetics. It is about economics — the economics of making something well, paying people fairly, and building a brand that can sustain itself without compromising its values. In this conversation with Stephen Grootes on The 702 Money Show, Kopman speaks candidly about what it truly costs to build a luxury African fashion label from the ground up, and why the slow fashion model is not just an ethical choice, but a sound business one.
Naked Ape operates at the intersection of craft and commerce — a space that demands both creative vision and financial discipline. Kopman discusses the realities of running a bespoke, made-to-order fashion house in South Africa: the challenges of sourcing sustainable materials, the investment required in skilled artisanship, and the long game of building a brand that stands for something beyond the season.
His Ethi-Eco² philosophy — Ethical, Ecological, Economical — is as much a business framework as it is a creative one. Every rand spent in the Naked Ape studio is considered. Every garment produced is an investment in quality over quantity, in longevity over trend. It is a model that challenges the conventional fashion industry playbook, and one that Kopman believes is not only viable, but necessary for the future of African luxury fashion on the global stage.
Listen to the full interview on The Money Show
Explore The Naked Ape Collection — handcrafted African luxury fashion by Shaldon Kopman.
About the Author
Shaldon Kopman — Founder & Creative Director, Naked Ape Official
Shaldon Kopman is the Founder and Creative Director of Naked Ape Official, a South African premium ethical fashion brand guided by the Ethi-Eco² philosophy. With over 15 years in African fashion design, Shaldon has showcased at South African Fashion Week and been featured in Rolling Stone Africa, Mail & Guardian and more.