Young tailor is living his dream
The Welgedacht resident creates bespoke designs for people to wear and enjoy.
From the streets of Welgedacht is where designer and tailor Senzwesihle Mahlangu hails. The 30-year-old has been living his dream of being a tailor and owning his clothing brand for six years.
He sits down with the Springs Advertiser and talks about his love for fashion and his future in business.
What inspired you to be a tailor?
When I was still in high school, I aspired to pursue one of four career paths, namely being a gastro surgeon (gastroenterologist), being a professional speaker, playing professional soccer or owning a clothing brand.
How many years have you been doing this?
I have been doing this for six years, whereby four were informal and the remaining two formal, with the business being registered.
What are the requirements of being a tailor and owning your own brand?
There are three major requirements for the character of a person who wants to be a tailor. One needs to have patience, an eye for detail and a love for the craft.
Owning a brand is a different ball game altogether because you need to wear all the hats of the different personnel needed to run a business – from being the accountant down to the HR representative.
As the creative owning a brand means you need to come up with ranges seasonally every year. It requires constant research of the trends not only in the fashion industry but all other industries so that your creations take inspiration and are relevant to the season and time.
What inspires you?
I get my inspiration from other businesses that are not necessarily clothing brands, like BMW and Tyler Perry Studios. Andrew Ramroop and Oswald Boateng also feed my inspiration in certain creations, not forgetting I love the Kasi Grootman lifestyle and that’s where I draw most of my inspiration.
When did you start your clothing brand?
I started the brand in 2015 while I was doing my second year at the University of Johannesburg.
What were and are still the challenges of owning a brand?
The constant challenge is coming up with new designs with sustainable and appealing fabrics seasonally.
What are your dreams and aspirations for your business?
The business is aimed at controlling the whole supply chain of the clothing industry – from the raw materials right through to the final product.
Eventually, I need to have a textile mill, Merino sheep, a cotton farm, and a cut, make and trim factory because I currently started with the clothing brand SenzOnly.
