Tuelo Nguyuza

Tell us about yourself?

I was born in Pretoria in a township called Ga-rankuwa. I studied fashion design at Tshwane University of Technology and currently reside in Muckleneuk in Pretoria.

What do you enjoy about what you do?

The ability to bring a design from sketch to life.

Describe your brand’s style?

My style evolves with time and influence.

Tell us a little about your brand?

The brand has evolved tremendously, our design aesthetic is more bold and daring. Future plans for the brand include possibly taking the brand into retail and creating our own textiles. In my short time in the industry I have learned that what is more difficult is the fact that you can’t only be the creative designer, you have to understand the business of fashion in general.

What do you think of initiatives such as ‘Buy Local’ and ‘Wear SA’?

The South African industry has really come a long way and has grown immensely. I believe that with the quality and standard of design in South Africa we are more than capable of producing and selling our designs locally.

I fully support the initiatives as they are helping the fashion industry grow.

Platforms such as Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Joburg, together with the African Fashion International (AFI) have already paved the way in the right direction – to support local designers. With that being said, we as designers also need to play our part and create more awareness around our brands.

What is your motto?

I believe in the old saying: “Hard work pays.”