Tell me about Haute Afrika
Haute Afrika, (haute meaning high standards, class, and elegance in French), is a contemporary African print brand I founded in 2016. My aim was to promote African sophistication and elegance by catering to the continent. The brand embodies a modern culture, celebrates Africa’s heritage and shares our stories one print at a time.
I believe that clothing can empower confidence, evoke topics [for discussion] and promote Africanism because when you look good, you feel good. In the world of pop culture, Haute Afrika will always maintain African print as its trademark and stand firm in breaking boundaries to merge cultures of artistic mindsets.
Who is the typical Haute Afrika client?
We call our customers kings and queens; this says a lot about what we think of our client and who our client is.
You studied international relations then taught yourself fashion design — how does the international relations training help you in your career as a fashion designer?
Learning international relations taught me a lot about negotiations and people skills, and that is something I use every day.
If you were the minister of small business in SA, how would you reboot SMEs as the economy reopens after lockdown?
What small businesses need right now is funding and this can take place in multiple ways, for example, by giving debt relief or giving loans with low interest rates. I would then employ people to start over again if they needed to, pick up where they left off and keep their morale and faith strong. Things will get better and back to normal; we just have to believe in this.
What would be your go-to Haute Afrika outfit?
Currently our tracksuits — they are very warm and stylish. However, under normal circumstances I really wouldn’t be able to choose — they are all my babies and I take a lot of time to design and create them.
What makes the work you do meaningful?
The belief that Haute Afrika is greater than me because Africa must rise and that my designs will be celebrated and worn around the world. But also that I get to wake up in the morning and make a difference in my employees’ and customers’ lives. My humanitarian works also bring meaning to my work. When I feel like giving up, I remember there is a family in Zandpruit that is waiting for our food parcels, so I need to keep pushing.
What did you want to be when you were a child?
A singer. I went as far as recording a couple of songs in the studio. But those songs will remain in the archives forever.
If you could not be a fashion designer, what would you do?
If I wasn’t a fashion entrepreneur, I would still be a businesswoman in a different industry. It would still be business-related.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.