June is Youth Month and we look at four
young designers who are dazzling the design world thanks to eThekwini
Municipality.
In 2020 four young designers from Durban
were selected to design the outfits that will be worn by athletes that
represent South Africa at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics’ opening
ceremonies in 2021.
Mbali Zulu, Nompumelelo Mjadu, Sandile
Sikhakhane and Sipho Lushaba were tasked with designing the kit that will be
worn by South African athletes at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics’ opening
ceremonies.
The designers are products of the Durban
Fashion Fair development programme.
‘’We welcome such progressive strides by
one of our flagship programmes, the
Durban Fashion Fair which skills and empowers budding talent in the fashion
industry,’’ said eThekwini Municipality Mayor Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda.
Umhlanga Life sat down with the four
designers to find out more about them.
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| Mbali Zulu | Instagram: @MbaliZulu6 |
For Mbali Zulu the fashion madness started
when she played with her Barbie dolls. ‘’I used to sew clothes from fabric
around the house and have my own fashion shows,’’ said Mbali Zulu.
She praised the Durban Fashion Fair
development programme which is an initiative of eThekwini Municipality. ‘’The
programme helped with training me to be a better business women, opening doors
to promote our brand on an international level,’’ emphasised Mbali Zulu.
The designer that inspires her most is
David Tlale.
The outfit they designed for the athletes
is very functional. ‘’The outfit was inspired by the Athletes. They wanted an
outfit that will unite us all, we created a print by combining different animal
prints and we added in the Olympics print. The outfit is ready to wear so they
can even use it after the opening ceremony,’’ shared Mbali Zulu.
She gave this advice to young designers,
‘’Apply for programmes like the Durban Fashion Fair mentorships, they really
help to mentor you and launch you as a designer. Start designing and making
your clothes,’’ said Mbali Zulu.
Her brand ZuluM specialises in ready to
wear, with an African celebration through colours and fabrication.
‘’Start doing what you love today not
tomorrow, start with the little you have and build from there, start with making
clothes for your family,’’ advises Mbali Zulu.
Youth Month is a reminder to her that we
can all make a difference. ‘’We can contribute and make a change to better our
lives,’’ stated Mbali Zulu.
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| Sipho Lushaba | Instagram: @svl_designs |
For Sipho Lushaba the entrance into the
fashion world was early. ‘’I used to watch my mother sew and from playing dress-up,
using me as her own personal mannequin to style me, I developed a love for
fashion so I decided to study fashion design at Lindiwe Kuzwayo Academy of
Fashion,’’ said Sipho Lushaba.
‘’The Durban Fashion Fair helped me by
giving me the platform to develop my skill through the mentorship programme
where we were mentored by Fezile Mdletshe and had the opportunity to showcase
our talents through the fashion, so it actually helped expose me to the fashion
world,’’ notes Sipho Lushaba.
He got involved in designing the Olympic
teams opening ceremony kit by being offered the opportunity by Durban Fashion
Fair, eThekwini Municipality and Mr Price.
He is inspired by Alexander McQueen and
Thebe Magugu.
Where did he get his inspiration for the
kit? ‘’Mainly from the Madiba dream and how he wanted to unite us as a nation
through sports and how we wanted to represent the athletes and their dreams of
stepping foot in the world’s biggest stage, so we also incorporated elements of
our cultural diversity which are represented by the big 5 and the Protea,’’
adds Sipho Lushaba.
His advice to young designers, ‘’Start now, look for opportunities which will help you in developing your skills and which help you get exposed to the world of fashion and also to value your craft, love what you do and never lose focus of what you wish to achieve,’’ shared Sipho Lushaba.
He uses his artistic brand SVL Designs to
tell stories through art and fashion by fusing both in garments.
‘’You can’t do everything by yourself at
all times, seek out help where you can and be patient with yourself and the
process,’’ advises Sipho Lushaba.
‘’Youth Month to me means that we
shouldn’t let the sacrifices which were made for us to have a better future go
to waste, we should take the opportunities given to us and make the most out of
them, so those who made the sacrifices can be proud at the end of the day,’’
states Sipho Lushaba.
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| Nompumelelo Mjadu | Instagram: @jado_mjadu |
She graduated with a fashion diploma in
2019 and had a specific interest in starting her own business.
‘’When I joined the DFF mentorship
programme I was very green. I had just come out of college. I was given a
platform to prove myself, through the programme I developed innovative
skills,’’ notes Nompumelelo Mjadu.
Coco Chanel and Laduma Maxhosa are designers
that inspire her.
‘’It is ok to start small wherever you
are, prove yourself! Make use of programmes like Durban Fashion Fair,’’ advises
Nompumelelo Mjadu.
Her brand Jado Mjadu is an original
feminine brand that focuses on the timeless style of women who value quality.
‘’The hardest times are the best time to
grow or create something new,’’ advises Nompumelelo Mjadu.
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| Sandile Sikhakhane | Instagram: @sandile_da_creactive |
‘’My whole life has been fashion and design. I’ve been doing this since I was 13. I’ve always been thinking outside the box. I had a vision of turning people into walking canvases’’ said Sandile Sikhakhane.
‘’The DFF Mentorship programme in 2020 gave
me the tools that I needed to be where I am now,’’ stated Sandile Sikhakhane.
He is inspired by Alexander McQueen.
‘’If you can see it you can achieve it. Don’t
stop, never stop. Just keep pushing. It takes a whole lot of hard work,’’
advises Sandile Sikhakhana.
His brand sAnd!Le_da_creActive uses arts
and crafts to bring value to what people think is nothing.
‘’I’ve learnt to turn my losses into
lessons and my lessons into my earnings. If you learn you will earn. I’ve
learnt how to cut costs. Collaboration is key, ‘’ advises Sandile Sikhakhana.
‘’Youth Month means it’s a reminder that I
as a Youth have the power to change the world. We can do a whole lot to change.
We can move mountains. We can become future kings and queens thus passing on
knowledge,’’ said Sandile Sikhakhana.
For
more information on how eThekwini Municipality is helping you visit: www.durban.gov.za
