KEEPING UP WITH THE FASHION WORLD
“Fashion means being able to express myself in a form of clothes.”
Meet Shikombiso Bila, a skillful crotchet queen who is passionate about what she does. Shikombiso was born in Nghezimani village, Limpopo. She graduated from the Tshwane University of Technology where she studied ND Software development.
“Fashion means being able to express myself in a form of clothes and coming up with new trends without any fear of judgment,” Shikombiso says. She is someone who always had the love of fashion. Shikombiso started toying around with the idea of becoming a fashion designer at an early stage. “I used to play with dolls as a child and I would make clothes for them. I started tearing clothes up and re-design them again for myself,” Shikombiso revealed. She treasured fashion and modelling most. However, she became Miss June 16 in 2006 at Nghezimani village. That is when her love for fashion stems up and as a result, she knew then that she was going to work with art. N’wa Bila always had a dream of becoming a model or a dress model one day. However, her talent and creativity made it a victory as she succeeded in being a dressing model.
There isn’t any 1 formula for business creation, but it starts with having a clear idea of what kind of brand you want to start. “I started my business in 2017, with only 1 ball of wool,” says the crotchet queen. Starting her brand, “Maxelostyle” was not all that difficult for her. “I made a scarf, and people seemed interested and that’s how the business started,” Shikombiso disclosed. Her business is different from most fashion designing businesses because hers is focused on crotchet artwork. Each costume is made with love using various colorful yarns. Shikombiso’s business provides on trends yet timeless, flattering, and daring clothing like “Xibelani”, crotchet tops, and many other beautiful outfits. She clarified that it takes hard work and plenty of time to complete a piece of a design.
Shikombiso disclosed that since her business started, there were multiple challenges she faced. Some challenges include criticism from people thinking that handmade products should be cheap. Furthermore, she indicated that not having a physical store where customers can fit and feel the product before purchasing is another encounter.
“Being a fashion designer is a very demanding job, especially when you work for yourself. I hardly get time to do other work,” she announced. Shikombiso used to write poetry; however, she stopped writing and focused fully on designing. But, as a qualified Software developer, she still makes time to do a bit of programming just so she doesn’t lose the skill.
Shikombiso’s business had managed to create job opportunities for few individuals at present yet creating more job opportunities is her biggest long-term goal she wishes to accomplish. “I decided to hire at least 4 people to help me with orders, and as a way of dealing with work pressure. I’m glad I did that because they help me finish orders on time, and I am also proud of creating employment for them,” she says.
Her greatest achievement so far is scoring herself Interviews on Radio MLFM and an interview on TV Mzansi insider. However, being nominated for the Best Fashion Designer for XAMA Awards is her biggest accomplishment ever. According to her, this means that people recognize her and her amazing talent.
“One of my plans is to showcase my clothing brand at an international runway and own an online store which will be able to reach an international market,” She says. Shikombiso also dreams of owning a big clothing factory and a number of her clothing brand stores in abundance.
MaxeloStyle
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Ripfumelo is an ambitious and self-motivated individual who thrives on challenges and constantly sets objectives for herself. She's always looking for an opportunity to do better and achieve greatness.
