Get It - Dec 2012

Get fashion
Mtubatubaborn
fashion
designer
Sandile
Mlambo
Labelling
future
fashion
Fashionable journey
After matriculating at uMfolozi High
School in the late 1990s, Sandile headed
for Technikon Natal where he completed
his studies in the fields of management
and technology, financial accounting and
human resources management.
He returned to Zululand in search of a
job and when that did not materialise, he
started experimenting with his mother’s
old dresses and sheets, turning them into
designer items.
‘One time after I had spent an entire
day making a pair of skinny pants and
sewing it by hand, my mother pulled out
14 Get It Zululand December 12
her sewing machine which was collecting
dust and handed it over. That was the
beginning of great things.’
Secretly he knew that he was no briefcase
and suit man.
And when his friends marvelled over
his unique dress code, he started creating
items for them and it snowballed
from there.
He creates garments from inception to
pattern making and sewing,
‘I take care of all the details to the end.’
For all those aspiring designers out
there, Sandile’s tips for staying on top
of your game is to know what you are
doing, know what’s happening outside,
befriend people in good financial spaces,
never stop learning, take criticism with a
pinch of salt and laugh at yourself often!
Lastly, don’t throw tantrums if you mess
up.
Socialite
The vibrant and sassy social mover is
talkative, interactive and has a humorous
side that is contagious.
One cannot help but enjoy his funny
side.
‘You have to interact and network with
people to get ahead in this field. You
need people to succeed in this business,’
he says.
He does not believe in luck, but rather
that the choices we make shape our
future.
‘You can kneel and pray till your knees
bleed, but prayer won’t plug in that
machine and make that dress. You have
to get up and do it!’
Creative flair
His creative flair for fashion evolved from
a mere pastime and hobby to a thriving
business - with its own signature label