As the world of fashion evolves, local fashion designers are making strides and entering the market. Using local patterns and textiles, fashion designers can bring to life anyone’s dream outfit.
Moeketsi Morobe, locally known as Mo, is a fashion designer based in Soweto. He creates dresses for various clients who travel far and wide to get a custom ‘Mo’ design. Speaking to SME South Africa, Mo says he started his business because he wanted to become his own boss.
“Hustling at a young age, that is what inspired my drive to become my own boss”, he says.
Mo’s main target market is women. He has designed beautiful garments for many women and for various events. These range from matric dances and anniversaries to birthday celebrations and weddings.
Mo said he found his target market when he noticed that it was mostly women who bought custom garments. He says, “The most influential buyers are women when it comes to clothes. Once I noticed this gap, I aligned my brand to focus more on female products and garments.”
Breaking into the Fashion Industry
The fashion market in South Africa is projected to reach $885,7 million in 2024. With internationally acclaimed designers such as Thebe Magugu and Rich Mnisi, South Africa’s fashion industry is growing globally.
Although there is space for all designers, Mo explains that to get into the fashion industry, you must be unique and exceptional at what you do. “When I started, there was no gap in the market. I realised that to get business, I must be unique and stand out from other designers,” explains Mo.
As with many other industries, small businesses face challenges that make it difficult to conduct business consistently. In South Africa, some of the biggest challenges for small businesses are access to funding and constant power cuts.
Mo says he has applied for funding many times but with no luck. To overcome this, he decided to expand his business beyond creating garments that are occasion-based. Mo added products that customers can purchase for day-to-day wear such as hats, shirts, blouses and accessories. This has helped him ensure he has enough capital to get equipment for his business.
Serving Clients through Fashion
He also added a courier service which has increased his customer base to those outside Johannesburg.
Besides challenges such as funding, Mo says that late payments from clients have also been a hindrance for him. Late payments have a negative effect on small businesses. It can cause irregular cash flow, an inability to pay wages and hinder a small business from being able to promote its products and services.
Even with all these barriers, Mo has kept his business steady and has regular clients who buy regularly from him. He says that his biggest win in business is being able to keep his regular clients and keep them happy.
Having a regular customer base is important for a small business. This ensures you will always have a good regular cash flow and revenue. “Having a stable and regular client base is so important for me. This is definitely my biggest win, so far.”
Entrepreneurship Take Perseverance
As someone who is a regular for Sowetans when it comes to fashion, Mo says that if he could give his younger self advice, it would be to persevere. He explains that when you work for yourself, you cannot hide or ask someone else to pick up the pieces for you.
“You have to keep going because if you quit, there won’t be anyone to pick up slack for you. If you give up then your business will fail,” says the fashion designer.
When asked about what advice he would give to someone who is looking to start their own business, Mo said the best thing to do is to focus on what you are good at. He explains that by focusing on that you can maximise your talent and drive to start and grow your business.
Additionally, he says that new business owners should have a willing and open heart and be prepared for many sleepless nights.
“We work with different people all the time. Some are kind, patient and great to work with while others are not. You must be prepared for anything and anyone, so you need to ensure you are patient. Also, the many sleepless nights are something you should prepare for,” Mo concluded.
