Durban - Local fashionista Khanyisile Dlamini intends to sew a network together for her clothing brand at the Department of Tourism’s Africa’s Travel Indaba.
Having been suspended for two years by the Covid-19 pandemic, the event ‒ to be held at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre from May 9 to11 ‒ was relaunched to the media this week.
Dlamini, who owns fashion brand Zip and Zen, said that she was looking forward to the business exposure and access to mentorship.
“I always had an interest and passion for fashion. I was raised by my grandmother who was a seamstress.
“In our household, there was always something being made. People used to bring orders and designs. So I grew up around machines and fabric. That’s where my passion for fashion began,” she said.
Although she started sewing with her grandmother, she wanted to learn fashion design professionally, so she completed her diploma in fashion design last year and graduated earlier this year.
“I decided to start a brand Zip and Zen, named after my two kids Ziphezinhle and Zenzonhle.
“The brand started when I was looking for clothes that my daughter Zenzonhle could wear to celebrate her African heritage, using African prints she could wear daily.
“I found within the major retailers that wasn’t available. I wanted to offer something that is inspired by our African heritage and not only reserved for traditional functions like weddings.
“As a parent, you can use daily clothing to teach your child about embracing their culture, whether it’s Xhosa, Nigerian or Zulu.”
She said that she started the business with no funding.
“My business has been self-funded until now. I also don’t have any formal mentorship or training. The brand was started in 2018 and started to be functional in 2019. Unfortunately 2020, 2021 were Covid-19 years and things went silent. After that, things started to pick up and we are grateful for that.
“I saw a gap in terms of learning how to run a profitable business, how to access markets and the right markets that fit the brand. That’s what I’m trying to work on; as much as I can design and make garments, the business side is not a strong point. We hope to gain access to markets and to training and mentorship programmes that will help SMMEs,” she said.
She said that her notable milestones and highlights so far would be her participation in the Indaba in 2018 and 2019 which “allowed us to connect with different artists, traders, crafters, delegates and visitors from around Africa.
“It would be an opportunity for them to buy my garments and take them back home and then keep in contact with us by following our social pages and seeing what we do.
“I hope to build more networks, more connections and to make sales. Because we are self-funded and I have never received any loans or funding, I must make sales to grow the business,“ said Dlamini.
She said that tshe had learnt that to be successful, she had to invest in training.
“Get information however you can so you see what everyone in your business is doing. Learn from the veterans and the people doing worldwide. If you have an opportunity to sell face-to-face, use the opportunity to talk to them and ask them how they feel about your product, what advice you can get from them.
“I always ask, ‘what am I looking for, what is a challenge for you to find for your kids or for yourself in the market?’”
She also advised business owners to invest in professional help in areas that they were not familiar with such as administration or graphic design.
She said her family worked together to build the business.
“There are crazy moments when we prepare for the markets together. It is both exciting and frustrating. We made samples together and we are grateful for sharing the brand and this opportunity,” she said.
Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille said that she was excited about the Indaba because it was one of the first major events since being appointed to her new role.
The Independent on Saturday