Young man with a passion for fashion
Dinwiddie’s Mlondi Nxumalo is ready to share his unique style with the world.
Mlondi Nxumalo (19) recently discovered his passion for fashion – and what a passion it is.
“To be honest, when I was younger I never cared about clothes, it was all about shoes for me.
“If I had the right shoes I didn’t care about anything else.
“This year, however, I discovered my love for fashion and style and realised that your personal style and your choice in fashion are vastly important in making a good first impression,” he explained when he visited the GCN offices, on Wednesday.
During his visit the young stylist didn’t share only his hopes for the future, he also shared his top three tips for summer.
And taught a GCN journalist how to liven-up a pair of plain jeans.
Mlondi, who works under the name Zwide, was born in KwaZulu-Natal and moved to Dinwiddie when he was just three years old.
He attended Dinwiddie Primary and Dinwiddie High School, before enrolling in the Vaal University of Technology to pursue his love for graphic design, with which he fell in love at the tender age of 13.
“This is my first year in varsity and the real world has opened my eyes; when I dress well people notice and respond to me and I fell in love with that,” he said.
Mlondi and his friends, Thatohatsi Mandindi (19) and Thando Ngobese (20), have decided to harness their creative talents and are developing a “look book” called “Summer 16”.
“Our look book will be filled with all the must-haves and trendiest looks for summer,” he explained.
When asked what he loves about fashion he was a little lost for words.
“It’s not just fashion; the way I see it is there is a whole science to it; sounds crazy I know,” he said with a laugh.
“I love all forms of art and fashion brings together patterns and colour schemes, old and new, into something you can wear.”
Mlondi went on to explain that he loves to create his own style, he even designs his own clothes.
“I want to be a trendsetter, never a follower,” he said.
He was inspired to take the leap from fashion-lover to trendsetter and stylist by The Threaded Man, one of the biggest online fashion bloggers in Africa.
“What he has achieved and is still achieving inspires me to keep pushing, because I believe I have it in me to do the same and more,” Mlondi said.
He also draws inspiration from local models and brand ambassadors, as well as international celebrities and style icons.
“I got tired of sitting at home watching people my age doing these incredible things.
“I knew it was time to start working towards my own dreams,” Mlondi said.
Asked about his ultimate dream, he didn’t mince his words, saying: “I want to meet Kanye West.
“On top of that I want to be both the man behind the scenes pulling the strings and in front of the camera.
“I want to take the world by storm.”
He believes the sky is the limit.
“In the short term I would love to work with powerhouse brands like Levis and Adidas.
“I know it sounds like a lot, but I know that, with hard work, dreams do come true.”
You can find Mlondi on Instagram @swide_omkhulu or read more of his fashion advice on his blog, Styled by Zwide: https://styledbyzwide.wixsite.com/website-3.
Other human interest stories you may be interested in:
