Fashion trio’s tailo
THREE FASHIONISTA FRIENDS HAVE COME TOGETHER TO START THEIR OWN SUAVE BUSINESS, DESIGNING RETRO PANTS AND GARMENTS FOR THE LOCAL MARKET,WRITES
TSIZWE SISOKA
HREE friends have started an innovative street-style brand intended to take street fashion in Durban to the next level. Prince Smith and S’phiwe Ngidi, both 27, have been friends since they were at school at Chesterville Extension Secondary. Smith met their third partner, Lungisani Mkhwanazi, 29, at the Gateway shopping mall in umhlanga two years ago where they worked for retailers.
The trio decided to put their heads together and develop their own brand, which led to the birth of Flair91. It was established to give expression to their shared passion for fashion. They have different styles, but use their differences to create different experiences for different tastes.
The trio started Flair91 – a brand they describe as fashion forward – in 2016. They called it Flair91 because what they do is effortless since it is part of their lifestyle.
“It’s all our natural ability,” Ngidi said.
Mkhwanazi added: “It all started when we wanted to have certain pants, but couldn’t find them in South Africa. We then designed our own pants and wore them, and people began to ask us about them, questions like where did we get these kind of clothes and where can we buy them, so we decided to focus on this as a business opportunity.”
At that time Smith, who is entrusted with the sewing operations from his Chesterville home, had little knowledge about sewing.
The self-taught tailor took sewing seriously and in no time he was sewing their signature pants and garments and other ready-to-sell items for potential customers.
Now they sell their hand-made pants for between R600 and R900, mainly to young consumers. Their shirts retail for R250 to R550.
“The product we sell to the people is what we fell in love with,” said Mkhwanazi.
Their brand is a lifestyle movement, he said.
“We created these clothes for ourselves and now we are making it accessible to people who believe in what we do,” he said.
Smith said: “We know that in Durban there are people who like this sense of style, so now we want to share it with them because we couldn’t all have access to it.”
Retro pants, T-shirts and flowery shirts are Flair91’s signature clothing lines now, but they plan to launch a range for toddlers and expand their business to Johannesburg within the next five years.
“The dream is to have a nationwide online shop and some pop-up shops in other countries such as the UK and US, because we believe these countries can relate to us,” said Mkhwanazi.
Since Flair91 is also a lifestyle movement, part of their long-term ambition is not only to produce clothes, but includes plans to be stylists and talent developers in skills such as photography and graphic design.
For now, they are using industrial machines to sew pants. They don’t have the compatible machinery for shirts and so outsource their shirts and T-shirts.
“Our pants are made in-house. Since the three of us have different personalities, we choose one fabric we are all comfortable with and have different cuts”, said Smith.
Ngidi said that they get their inspiration from the environment, social media and movies – and they keep abreast of the latest fashion trends to keep their business relevant.
Most of their photo shoots usually include flowers. Asked about this, they say they love nature and want to promote a positive message about nature.
The trio, who still have their day jobs, say their salaries are funding the business and their lifestyle while it’s growing.
Mkhwanazi says they often have problems with suppliers who do not provide material on time, as this has ramifications for their business.
The trio say passion, perseverance and fashion are what keep the
Flair91 fire burning – they believe the business has brought hope for the future of their families.
Their tips for small business:
Do research about your business and your target market.
Don’t chase money, chase quality.
Take your time.
Seize every opportunity you get. Believe in yourself.
The events of the world are your business.