Starting a clothing label takes more than a good name and a logo. In South Africa, registering the business, protecting the brand, and getting your tax and labelling right are separate steps, and mixing them up is where most new brands go wrong. Here is the order to do it in.
By Innocent Muchererwa Mutara, Founder & Director, Maltech-Africa · Last updated 23 October 2026
To register a clothing brand in South Africa: check that the name is available, register your business (usually a private company with CIPC), register your brand name and logo as a trademark in Class 25, register for tax with SARS, and make sure your labels comply before you sell. Registering a company does not protect your brand name. Only a trademark does.
Search the CIPC company names, the CIPC trademark register, and the domain and social media handles you want. A name that is free as a company name can still belong to someone else as a trademark, so check both before you spend money on labels, packaging or a website.
You can start as a sole proprietor, but most brands register a private company (Pty) Ltd with CIPC so that the business, not you personally, owns the brand and carries the liability. Read our guide to company registration in South Africa. If any director is not a South African citizen or resident, see our guide to registering a company as a foreigner.
Clothing, footwear and headgear fall under Class 25. If you also sell through your own shop or online store, you may need a separate application for retail services (Class 35). Each class needs its own application. Registration typically takes 12 to 24 months, and you can trade while you wait, but until the mark is registered someone else can apply for the same name first. Read our trademark registration guide.
A company must register for income tax and file returns. VAT registration becomes compulsory once your taxable turnover passes R1 million in any 12-month period, and you can register voluntarily from R50,000. Confirm the current thresholds on the SARS website. If you employ staff, you also need PAYE, UIF and SDL registration, and COIDA where it applies. If you plan to supply uniforms or corporate wear to government, you will need a Tax Compliance Status (TCS) PIN and CSD registration.
Original garment shapes and patterns can be protected by design registration, which is separate from a trademark. Prints and artwork are generally protected by copyright automatically. Designs generally need to be new, so talk to us before you launch a collection or publish photos of a new design.
Clothing sold in South Africa generally has to carry labels such as fibre content, care instructions and country of origin. Check the current Consumer Protection Act requirements before you print labels. If you import fabric or finished garments, customs registration and the correct tariff classification matter. See our Import and Export Customs package.
We can handle the name check, company registration, trademark applications, SARS registration and ongoing compliance for you. We work remotely from Pretoria, so you never need to visit an office.
No. You can start as a sole proprietor. A company separates your personal finances from the business and makes the business the owner of the brand.
No. Company registration only reserves the company name. To own the brand name and logo, you need a trademark.
Class 25 covers clothing, footwear and headgear. Online or physical retail is a separate class.
Typically 12 to 24 months from filing, mostly because of CIPC examination and the 3-month publication period.
Yes, but you risk someone else registering the name first. The earlier you file, the better.
It is optional. Design registration protects the look of an original garment shape or pattern. Prints and artwork are usually protected by copyright automatically.
Once your taxable turnover passes R1 million in any 12-month period. Confirm the current threshold with SARS.