Sewing is her biggest passion
Edwina Gole says she feels so proud when clients wear her designs, it keeps her going.
Vella Nyoni
POLOKWANE – GROWING up in a small village in Ga-Mothapo just outside Polokwane, Edwina Gole had big dreams of a better life for herself and her family.
From an early age, Gole displayed a deeper passion for sewing. As a young girl, she would harness her talent by sewing items for her siblings.
She always knew she wanted to make a big success of her life, she just did not know how.
She started her own company in 2007 after her job as a security guard abruptly ended. That was the birth of Mmagole Décor and Sewing. The company is based in the Polokwane central business district and specialises in wedding dresses, traditional attire, shoes and wedding décor and cakes. Gole says she feels so proud when clients wear her designs, it keeps her going.
“I love what I do and what keeps me going is the fact that I have clients who I have to make clothes for. So if I quit, what will they wear? My clients come first,” she says.
She faces quite a few daily challenges.
“There is a huge lack of employees in Polokwane. There are not many people who can sew and most of them who are good in embroidery are mostly Ghanaians and they don’t have the proper documentation. Secondly I struggle to find material and funding is another challenge,” she says.
Despite these challenges, she plans to keep going and will not stop anytime soon.
She plans to open a bigger shop where people can buy ready-to-wear clothes. She says she would also like to teach young girls from disadvantaged backgrounds the skill of sewing to avoid a life on the streets.
