Fashion move suits trio’s passion
ENTREPRENEUR and Apple Inc co-founder Steve Jobs once said: “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow know what you truly want to become.”
Doing that are three smart and talented youngsters from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Two final-year business management and economics students, Mpendulo Mthethwa and Lloyd Ngunze, along with Mthokozisi Mdlalose, who is doing his Masters in astronomy, united through a mutual passion and flair for fashion and business to launch a company called Black Diamond Suits.
“We were determined to follow our dreams in a society that constantly wants hand-outs – in a country with such crazily high unemployment rates,” said Ngunze. “The three of us love good suits and top-end fashion, as do many of our fellow students, but most of the best suits on the market are imported: it’s all expensive Italian stuff.”
The three entrepreneurs came up with the idea of designing and making uniquely styled quality suits for other graduates – and Black Diamond Suits has taken off faster than the trio hoped.
Ngunze and Mthethwa’s mothers sew, meaning both know their way around tailoring, to a certain extent, but they wisely hire qualified seamstresses to do their sewing.
Said Mthethwa: “We make money from part-time jobs on weekends and at the varsity library, and with that, we buy our fabric and pay the people who help with the sewing.”
Their fabrics are sourced from various outlets, their designs inspired by overseas trends but given an African twist. The result is eye-catching, sophisticated styling with excellent fabrics at affordable prices. “You could pay R6 000 for a three-piece Armani suit, but we would make something very similar for anything from R2 500 to R3 500,” said Mdlalose, adding they also make formal wear for women.
Such has been the success and popularity of Black Diamond Suits that they were featured on UKZN’s website and newspaper.
Added Ngunze: “The success of our business has shown that students can excel academically, while not diminishing their dreams and passions in life.
“What we have achieved so quickly is a wake-up call for other students. Not everything should be resolved through strikes or by apportioning blame on the government. It is possible to make a change with a few resources, with only dreams driving us.”
The three are driven by a common goal – to create and build a sustainable business that can take them well into the future.
“We offer quality and affordability, while giving students and youngsters on a budget the chance to look as smart and sophisticated as anyone else,” said Mthethwa.
Future plans include travelling to China or Korea to source bulk fabrics and then having their own design studio and outlet from which to operate.
In between this, they still are focused on their studies. Mthethwa and Ngunze will graduate with their degrees next year, and Mdlalose has plans to do his PhD in astronomy.