'If you can dream it, I can sew it'

Among the greatest concerns faced by South-Africans today is the scarcity of jobs that continues to be a major challenge for many people. That is why, when someone – especially someone from a rural area – manages to create a job for him- or herself that may even benefit another struggling person, a sense of hope rises.

Zwotea Rembuluwani (27) from Matangari village fell in love with fashion design when he was in high school. He had watched his mother closely when she was at work in the confines of their home. “She was a fashion designer. I used to watch her work, and when she was not around, I would rush to her worktable and practise - obviously copying from her own designs,” he said.

After school, he registered for a course in business management at Sedibeng TVET College but dropped out when he realised that he had no interest in it whatsoever. “It was not what I wanted to do. So, I changed direction for a course in fashion design at Central Johannesburg College, and my mother was there to motivate and support me. In the space of two years, I had mastered all the fundamentals and complexities of the sewing art.”

Today, he works from his studio at Matangari village, which is fully equipped with his sewing machines.

“I design in line with the clients’ requests or likings to make sure that I fully satisfy my customers,” he said. “There are ardent clients, such as Thifheli Tshikalange, who ensure that they order some things every month and even bring more clients by way of referrals.”

So far, Rembuluwani has managed to host fashion shows at the Tshinakie Resort in Muhuyu, as well as in his own village, and both shows were very successful. Models were paraded in his colourful, unique designs.

“My designs are classy and trendy, and I also do a wide range of costumes, ranging from modern dresses to traditional wedding outfits,” he said. “My designs cater for both male and female fashion. I can design anything you can think of. If you can dream it, I can sew it.”

Rembuluwani finds joy in the knowledge that his clients (of whom some are models who usually upload his creations on various social-media handles) are always happy with his work. “I always have happy customers who love my work,” he said. “I think it’s because of my dedication to what I do. I put absolute passion into it, and that’s what makes me the best fashion designer around.”

Rembuluwani Zwotea is available on Facebook (Reyzwo Rembuluwani Zwotea), Instagram (@ reyzwo maninginingi), and Twitter (@reyzwo rsa) or Tel 067 086 6895.

Date:19 September 2021

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

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