Maureen ‘thrifting’ her way to the top
The term 'thrifting' is used to describe the act of shopping at a thrift store, flea market, garage sale or a shop of a charitable organisation with the intent of finding interesting items at a good price.
POLOKWANE – Maureen Mamafha is the lady behind Khadzi Thrifts and the 22-year-old grew up thrifting with her mother. Taking up all the compliments she got for her style choices, she decided to turn the family lifestyle into a business. “Most of my childhood jackets were thrifted. I guess it was an inexpensive way for my mom to make sure all six her kids were always dressed well. So naturally, thrifting became a lifestyle,” she explained.
Maureen explained that the name of her business is a bridge between her traditional culture as a Muvenda and popular culture that appeals to young people. She said that the name communicates the message of clothes hand-picked, cared for and treated as though it was chosen for you by Makhadzi but with an element of swag. “Khadzi is short for Makhadzi in Tshivenda which means aunt, it is also used to refer to a multiple of Makhadzi. In the Luvenda culture, Vho Makhadzi plays an important role in the family. They are key role players in nurturing and keeping the family together. The name ‘Makhadzi’ is a function more than it is title given to someone who actually has nieces and nephews. This part of the name was to represent the traditional part of the business, the vintage, the old as well as the care which is invested in every piece of clothing as if your own Makhadzi chose the clothes for you,” she explained. She added that ‘thrifts’ at the end brings the trendy element to the name because a lot of young people have over the years made thrifting popular.
For Maureen, fashion was inspired by her older siblings and it has become a way of life. “As a child in the 2000s, I was listening to a lot of RNB music as well as hip-hop music which my brothers and sister played. The music came with durags, oversized shirts and insane-looking sneakers,” she said. She added that although is not what she was exposed to then, she has gotten inspiration from them as well as her mother’s wardrobe. Some of the challenges Khadzi Thrifts faces is delivery issues because the aim of the business is to provide affordable clothes to students and young graduates but delivery costs are high and therefore it defeats the purpose of affordable prices. “My biggest highlight since starting Khadzi Thrifts is seeing people wear the clothes I thrifted and make it their own. I think the most beautiful thing about style or fashion is that anyone can make it their own and to see how people have received my business, in not only supporting it by buying the items but also making sure they communicate themselves through the clothes, is inspiring and soul-serving,” she said.
