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Canditar Chapanduka, Chronicle Reporter

THOBEKILE Angel Zondo (29) from Bulawayo’s Njube suburb is a self-taught designer who quit her job as a social worker to become an entrepreneur designing clothes.

A social work degree holder from the Women’s University in Africa, she developed an interest in designing during her childhood when she was making clothes for her dolls that family and community elders admired.

 When she grew up she could not resist the design calling, hence she quit her social work job in 2020.

Thobekile is now among the best designers in Bulawayo.

She has won several awards among them fashion designer of the year during the 2020 Bulawayo Arts Awards.

Fashion designing has changed her life as she now owns a shop in the city centre and a clothing brand, Leverage Brand (LVR). 

In an interview with Chronicle, Thobekile said passion drove her. She said she fell in love with designing because of the admiration she got from her mother’s friends when she was still young as they seemed to love the way she designed her dolls clothes.

It motivated her until it became a dream come true.

 “I taught myself how to design clothes when I was young and I recall how my mother’s friends were astonished at my work at a tender age. I then went to borrow a domestic sewing machine from my maternal aunt,” she said.

Thobekile got a mentor in 2016.

“In 2016 my aunt saw the passion that I had and gave me the sewing machine in order to pursue my talent. So, I had already taught myself how to sew and I was later mentored by Arakani, a fashion designer who is now based in South Africa after realising my talent. He is the one who fully introduced me to the fashion industry,” she said.

She said the Bulawayo Arts Awards opened doors for her. 

Thobekile said Arakani once took her to a show that was mainly for young fashion designers who were given an opportunity to showcase their talent during the time of her internship with him and many people noticed her work.

“During the Intwasa festival, I was recognized by Carousel (a division of the Edgar’s group). The event became a doorway for my popularity because soon after that I was also selected to showcase my work at Ekurhuleni Festival in South Africa though I was still on internship. The most exciting achievement I did through my talent was going to represent Zimbabwe in Mozambique,” she said.

The Mozambique Fashion Work was held in 2018.

Thobekile said after that she realised the great potential that she had in the industry, so she quit her job as a social worker and ventured into full-time designing.

 She specialises in ladies casual wear, dinner dresses, red carpet dresses, lobola dresses and wedding gowns among others.

She has dressed up local celebrities like Ashley Morgen who is a former Miss Tourism Zimbabwe and Pam Kelly from Skyz Metro FM. “However, it was not easy to establish myself in the market. When the lock down started I had just opened my shop in the city centre and businesses had to be closed due to lock down,” said Thobekile.

She said she never gave up due to the situation that prevailed but she had to venture into mask production since business was low. Thobekile said through manufacturing masks and marketing them the business improved during the period since masks were in high demand.

“I had to quit my job as a social worker because I was not happy about it compared to me being my own boss. Also, I had always wanted to be in the fashion industry, for all the years I had been doing fashion designing as a part time designer, but then I decided to do it full time and I never looked back,” said Thobekile.

“However, with the Leverage Brand, I specialise in women’s wear because I find it easy to design ladies’ clothes as a woman. I understand what different women like in terms of their different styles and what they could be more comfortable with.”

Thobekile has plans to expand her brand and make the fashion industry more recognised in Zimbabwe. 

“I advise other people doing nothing to try and realise their potential in life. All they need to do after that is to start. It will never be easy to penetrate into an industry with already existing designers but if you are determined you will keep pushing and working hard till you make it. Being an entrepreneur needs discipline and as an individual, you need to set goals, focus on one thing and give the work you are doing your all and make it work,” she said.