Kwa-Thema ? Fashion designer Nonkululeko Twala (25) is putting her skills to good use through her educational tutorials on various fashion design topics on her YouTube channel.
The tutorials take place each and every Friday live.
She studied fashion design at the Vaal University of Technology.
“My designs focus on Afrofuturism that also adds elements of street fashion.
“I also do bespoke – I’m highly inspired by the notion of walking art.
“I recently started doing YouTube videos with a focus on giving back to people through tutorials,” she says.
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She is doing a five part series on upcycling fashion, which is taking existing, or old clothing items, and reinventing them.
“The purpose of upcycling clothing items is to save costs but still being able to modernize something old.
“This Friday I will be doing another tutorial whereby I will be creating a crop top from an old pair of jeans.”
Her love for fashion was influenced by her grandmother who was a seamstress.
“My grandmother used her skills to provide for her family.
“And so she raised 10 children by herself.
“She has always inspired me.
“She turned her talent and passion into a stream of an income, which is great.
“Art is something very close to my heart so in my brand I infuse the two elements of art and fashion,” says Twala. Her dream is to one day own her own store.
“At the moment I am working on setting up an online store.
“One day I hope to open my own physical store, one in Johannesburg and another one here in Kwa-Thema.
“My goal is to create employment while sharing my skills and knowledge and also teach the young people about the business side of the fashion industry.
“To create helps to grow one spiritually, mentally and financially.
“It’s nice when you can see that your wildest expectations of yourself were only the tip of the iceberg,” she adds.
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She is also working on her winter range under the theme Protest Art.
“It takes bravery to follow your heart and pursue things you are passionate about.
“Always listen to your inner voice, work hard, learn as much as you can, and don’t forget to dream big.
“Surround yourself with like-minded people and read books.”