Soweto designer makes maiden appearance at London Fashion Week

He has to succeed, come rain or sunshine – this is the simple yet profound mantra that drives 44-year-old Lesego Malatsi, a designer from Soweto. He is making history and redefining the rules of the fashion industry. His company, Mzansi Designers Emporium, based in Johannesburg, is taking more African inspired fashion to the catwalk and the high street.

He recently made his debut at London Fashion Week, which is part of the biannual round of seasonal fashion shows that take place in New York, London, Milan and Paris.

“I never dreamt I would show my clothes on an international stage,” remarks Malatsi, whose fashion ambitions were formed under the corrugated metal roof of his Soweto home.

He currently employs 17 people, in addition to having a five-year plan to create 850 work opportunities for young designers.

Malatsi recalls that his journey from rags to couture began when he completed Matric and went in search of a vacation job. He landed up in a cosmetic company, which trained him as a beauty consultant.

He was drawn into the fashion world when he was required to do make-up at fashion shows and beauty contests. This is when the bug bit, and subsequently he decided to pursue a career in fashion, which was a far cry from what he had always wanted to do while growing up.

“In high school, I was preparing myself to become an accountant. But that fell by the wayside when I realised other opportunities existed, and I became attracted to the world of fashion,” adds Malatsi.

He recalls, with a mixture of pain and pride, the old days when there used to be no money to send him to school. His mother used his father’s pension payout to pay for his tertiary education.

Malatsi says studying was difficult, as fashion design is an expensive course that requires much money. In his final year at the Cape Peninsula Technikon (now incorporated into the Cape Peninsula University of Technology), he was headhunted by Foschini, following a competition he had entered. He did not take the job, but instead sought better prospects in Johannesburg.

He thought finding a job would be easy, since he had been headhunted as a student; alas, this was not the case, as it could not have been more difficult.

Malatsi found inspiration and direction in the strangest of places – in a taxi – where he struck up a conversation with a lady who told him she was a member of a sewing project. She invited him over to have a look at their operations.

Getting off the ground

Malatsi was so impressed with their project that he immediately negotiated a trade exchange agreement, where he would make patterns and designs for them in exchange for use of workspace and sewing equipment. “This is how my business started,” he proudly announces. This arrangement continued for a number of years.

With the success of his own company, Antony Couture CC, many people in the industry acknowledged him as being key to developmental structures. This was the moment Mzansi Designers Emporium was established in tandem with one partner, who later resigned. They had an express mandate to help other designers establish themselves.

From their experience, Malatsi and partner had determined that there was a lack of opportunities for fashion designers starting out and that it could be daunting to start a fashion label without any assistance. They had found that reasonably priced working space and equipment were also hard to come by.

Malatsi and partner unfortunately could not secure funds to meet the needs of the young designers they had in their stable. Neither did they have enough money to bring people on board and guarantee that they would make money at the end of the month. They decided they needed to benchmark themselves, and chose to trade under their own names.

Malatsi attributes their failure to lack of credibility. Neither did they have any success stories to showcase. This, however, did not deter him from moving forward in this industry. When his partner resigned, he soldiered on until 2007 when he received an order for uniforms from a government department.

The Richard Branson factor

Malatsi could not execute that order for lack of funds. The banks were not willing to invest in a young business without collateral.

A recommendation found him at the doors of the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship South Africa. It specialises in identifying the very best businesses, attitudes and potential – attributes that are not always found on a CV, but in the person.

The Centre equips South African start-up entrepreneurs who have an existing business with practical skills and tailored mentorship programmes; and facilitates networking opportunities to further expand their business and, ultimately, employ more people to create sustainable employment. As a result, the Centre assisted Malatsi in more than merely the funding he had initially required.

He says: “A couple of other opportunities presented themselves; it was not just the assistance with money – a whole new world opened to me. The Branson Centre assisted with exposure to networking sessions and to people who added value to my life, and also put me on a training course that taught me how to run a successful business.”

Malatsi still recalls with disbelief the invitation to Sir Richard Branson’s home in the United Kingdom. Branson, founder and president of Virgin Group, hosts the annual Sunday Times Fast Track 100 gala dinner at his home, inviting 100 of the fastest growing companies in the UK to the event. Malatsi was invited to address the delegates.

Forging ahead

Mzansi Designers Emporium has transformed from being a developmental institute to becoming a profitable business. It has grown from a turnover of about R15 000 a month to R80 000. It designs, manufactures and distributes exclusive African inspired men’s and women’s wear.

It is true that Malatsi is an investor in people. The company acts as a platform for emerging fashion. It nurtures staff by giving them the technical skills, training, business management training, as well as the ability to run motivational and self-esteem building programmes. As more designers emerge, they become role models – inspiring and enabling others to follow in their footsteps.

Malatsi believes the success of a company relies heavily on its most important assets – the employees – and he does everything possible to ensure they are well taken care of.

His design style is influenced by South Africa’s diverse cultures. Although his horizons have been broadened by his travels, they have not made their way into his designs just yet. He is, however, looking forward to future collections, where he incorporates international styles into the traditional South African inspired fabrics.

Malatsi says making a name for oneself in the fashion industry is, and was, not an easy task. There were those who did not believe in his work, as he recalls being asked by SA Fashion Week “what he was doing”.

“As a development institute, people could not see the value of what we were doing. They also could not see our expertise, as there was no success story, no credibility,” he explains.

Malatsi decided not to get involved in the politics of the fashion industry, but focused on running a successful enterprise.

“The one thing on my mind was that I had to succeed. I had to succeed come rain or shine – not because I wanted to prove something to someone, but so I could provide for myself,” he elaborates. “That vision changed with time; as soon as I employed the fifth person, I realised it was no longer about me, but about sustaining the jobs I had created. It became about them being able to feed their families. It became a game of survival for all of us.”

Distribution

When Mzansi Designers Emporium was started, its main distribution channel was through individuals coming in to buy from the studio. It has since grown and established a flagship store at Maponya Mall in Soweto.

It now has three distribution channels. It maintains its custom-made apparels for those who prefer to go to the studio, and caters for walk-in clients who patronise the shop, as well as an emerging corporate client base which, from time to time, buys in bulk.

Malatsi is driven by passion; a desire to see clients smile when they collect their clothes. He says it is this satisfaction that guarantees their return for more outfits.

He realised the twin challenges of managing the business and creative sides of things. At inception, he did it all himself, until he realised it was taking up much of his time. He has since contracted out the administrative side of the enterprise.

One of Malatsi’s aspirations is to contribute to bringing about positive change and development in the South African fashion industry. To this end, the company has developed a social responsibility programme: 20% of its profits go toward charity and developmental projects. “I support a number of charitable organisations, especially ones assisting abused women and children,” he adds.

The company offers two students experiential learning at its own expense. There are further plans to develop a Mzansi Designers Emporium Foundation. Malatsi says the foundation would focus on giving experience to new designers and mentorship.

According to him, mentoring in general is important; but in the fashion industry, it is almost necessary. He adds that there are some things that one cannot learn from the classroom, which one can only master by observing and being receptive to the changing landscape.

Malatsi advises anyone looking to break into the fashion industry that it is not about the glitz and glamour, as it is perceived and portrayed by the media. Instead, many aspiring designers have to snap out of such reveries and deal with needle pricks to realise their dreams. They need to research and develop new ideas constantly, as it is the only way to craft innovative notions that will transform the industry.

He recommends every woman should have a five-piece power suit, comprising a jacket, skirt, and a pair of pants; a dress and a coat. This allows one to be versatile. “By changing one item, you will look different,” he says.

For men, a power suit is absolutely a must, says Malatsi, adding that you can have one suit and jazz it up with different accessories in the form of shirts and ties. “For those who are not afraid to break boundaries, a choker on guys adds that elegance and gives one the edge.”

With Sir Branson now a fan of his menswear, and a new flagship store at Maponya Mall for his label, Malatsi is ready to take South Africa to the fashion world.

Charity Ncube