Fashion
A 23-year-old woman from Nthabalala village, Thendo Nkuna, launched an artistic clothing range which encourages people to live their life to the fullest.
The brand that many young people, and even some of the older folk, are talking about is called Zwithu Zwi Ntha, which refers to the belief or idea that life has to be lived to the fullest. The expression only means that life is good when you have everything under control.
“When things are working your way, that’s when you can say 'Kha nne zwithu zwi ntha',” Thendo said.
The idea of starting Zwithu Zwi Ntha came to her in the middle of last year. “However, I was really overwhelmed by the turnout of supporters at the launch on 17 December last year,” she said. “Most attendees had bought Zwithu Zwi Ntha clothes and were wearing them on that day. It was like we had entered The Hall of Fame!”
Thendo attended Denga Secondary School and matriculated at Thwalima Secondary School. “I went to Central Johannesburg College to complete a motor and diesel mechanic trade, but dropped out because it wasn’t really my thing,” she said.
She described her target market as being mostly young people, because they were already familiar with the streetwise expression “zwithu zwi ntha”, even before she introduced the brand to them. “Even little kids are in love with the brand,” she said.
She encouraged young people to always dream big. “Don’t be lazy, put in the hard work,” she said. “It pains me to see how many start-ups will not even start working until they secure funding for their company. The truth is, your company or idea won’t secure funding until you’ve proven to investors that your business model works and that you have the ability to work hard.”