By: Keletso Mkhwanazi.
It may seem easy to create your clothing line or brand, but the truth is that it takes more than just a sense of style. Successful clothing firms, such as Modernised Vintage Clothing, are the product of a combination of entrepreneurial spirit, business acumen, and familiarity with the marketing, production, and retail industries. Tania Mothusi started her clothing line because she has always had a keen sense of style. A proud designer who balances her academic studies and her business, the 24-year-old second-year Sew Africa Fashion College student is busy most of the time.
Mothusi creates her clothing in her home in Dobsinville, Johannesburg. “I have always loved clothes and have had an interest in them since I was a very young child, but there was a time when I didn’t know what to do, so I called my dad to buy me a machine but instead he told me to look for a school,” she said. She is grateful for the help her father is providing by paying for her education. To promote her brand before she graduates, Mothusi launched it in October 2022. She finds inspiration for her current designs in vintage clothing.
“Fashion is a repetition of ideas, something that is out of fashion now will be back in a few years, so I restructure old styles more fashionably,” she said. Mothusi told Vutivi News her brand was still young and that she was willing to grow it as much as she could, but it was difficult on her own. “You need money to produce money. I think finance is my biggest challenge,” she said.
Mothusi has participated in fashion displays at her school and the Westrand and the DNA Hair fashion weeks. “To be a part of the SA Fashion Week and be allowed to showcase my brand worldwide with the collaboration of global icons like David Tlale and model Gert Bella Hadid would be my biggest accomplishment,” she said, adding that she models her clothing because she cannot afford to pay models. Despite the growing pains of a new business, Mothusi urges businesspeople to never give up on their goals. “Dreams delayed are not dreams denied, keep working, keep believing, and keep working hard, it is indeed possible,” she said. She can be contacted via social media at @ModernisedVintageClothing.
