About Us

Jo Borkett has been in the business of Fashion and Fashion retailing for 61 years.
Jo started her career as a trainee buyer at Harrods in 1961 - fresh from school and queuing in front of Biba with the London 'it crowd' in the midst of the swinging 60s. 
 
She then went on to join a new era of Fashion retailers in the UK with boutique stores franchising their business and opening stores across the country. She was approached by a chain group  and rolled out multiple stores for the brand in the  North England.
 
Jo received news of a job opening for Dodo in South Africa, and immigrated with her husband, as team leader she opened 17 boutiques for the brand in South Africa.
 
In 1971 Jo Borkett launched her own brand and started retailing and manufacturing the Jo Borkett fashion line.
She opened 10 stores as a seasoned retailer and grew the business to a household brand.
 
The Corporate clothing market was booming and became a separate wing of the business with 100 top South African + Southern African clients. Jo Borkett corporate fast became the preferred supplier in this field
Jo is hands-on, and runs all the planning, design and buying aspects of the business. 
 
She works 12 hours a day, 6 days a week and there is no plan in slowing down, to the contrary, business is picking up and expansion is on the cards.
Her dedication to the business she has built, returning clients and brand trust has allowed her to keep the ship afloat through many testing seasons.
 
3 generations of family members can shop at Jo Borkett, and they do.
The brand follows international fashion and then redesigns it to fit the South African consumer, delivering on-trend items with a focus on affordable luxury.
The brand has its flagship store in Sandton City and a second in Rosebank Mall, outlet stores in Woodmead Value Mart and Access Park, Kenilworth, Cape Town, and we also sell online.
The brand will soon again be available through store-in-store rollout throughout South Africa within retailer - Edgars.
Jo Borkett has also recently launched a new corporate collection - Jo Borkett Office, which provides a fashionable office wear solution to corporate teams or individuals. Outfitting both male and female clients with a tailored capsule collection.
 
80% of manufacturing is done locally - Designed at our head office in Johannesburg and manufactured in CMTs in downtown JHB.