Rural inspiration setting trends

“I’m promoting local clothing and want to encourage people to buy local clothing. It’s important because it’s growing our economy so that we can create jobs and opportunities,” says Mbobo.

From a very young age, it was Mbobo’s dream to become a fashion designer. His mother, who was a tailor, passed away in 2001 and he inherited her sewing machine. He believes he also inherited his gift for clothing design from her. Mbobo lives in Katlehong with his grandmother, two sisters and a brother. Self-employed, he currently shares a clothing studio with five other designers in Pritchard Street, in the Johannesburg CBD.

The theme of the Vukani event was Trends In Fashion – Back To Basics, and Mbobo took inspiration from rural communities. The audience was surprised to see familiar traditional blankets known as itshali, ncawe (Xhosa), seanamarena (Sotho) and umbhalo (Ndebele) cleverly crafted into items such as a poncho and tailored men’s jackets.

“I was inspired by rural areas and how people and animals live. In my interpretation, I then used their traditional blankets as the material to construct the garments,” said the 29-year-old designer.

Now in its 19th year, the annual Vukani Fashion Awards provides a platform for young, up-and-coming designers to showcase their design talent. It also exposes them to business opportunities through incubation and mentorship programmes. Mbobo’s first experience with the Vukani Fashion Awards was last year when he was selected to showcase his work as one of the emerging guest designers from the City of Ekurhuleni – a developmental initiative benefitting residents of the host city.

This year he submitted his designs on a storyboard and was then selected as one of the 14 finalists who presented their garments. Mbobo was ecstatic about his win.

“Having been in business since 2008, I believe that winning the competition will place me on the map and I will now become better known in the South African fashion scene.”

His store, Mbombo Movement, is situated at the Fashion Kapitol in Johannesburg. The City of Ekurhuleni was main sponsor and host city of the Vukani Fashion Awards for the second year running. About 18 local crafters also benefitted from the project, through exhibitions and workshops.

Some of the designers who have been recognized through the Awards in the past include Gert Johann-Coetzee, Sandile Lula, Vuyokazi Mabona, Mosa wa Mosa and Raymond Matukane. The awards were started in 1994 by Sonwabile Ndamase, the designer behind the “Madiba Shirt”, who literally turned former President Nelson Mandela into a style icon.