How do you juggle high school and managing a fashion brand?
In one respect, it is quite easy as my school subjects include design and business which help me manage the clothing brand better but it is still challenging. We have to constantly decide on questions like do we spend the money to create a pop up shop or do we invest in advertising or PR? Trying to figure out the most cost effective way to spend each rand is important. We have learnt a lot by just doing and when we hit a bump in the road, we try to learn from it and move forward. It takes courage to create a business but it can be very rewarding.
Elysian Fields What have been some of your highlights since launching in 2016?
One of my biggest highlights was dressing Fally Ipupa, an MTV Africa Music Awards winner when I went to the DRC. He is an old friend of my mom’s so she called him and got me to present my project to him which he liked and hence we ended up dressing him in our latest range at the time. Another highlight was appearing on SABC2’s Hectic Nine 9 show.
Who is your target market?
Our target market are male fashionistas aged between 16 to 25 years old. How would you describe the style of RedThread Apparel X?
Rather than being pigeon holed into any particular genre, we want to be fluid with our style, we want it to feel fresh and unique, a style that's constantly evolving. We want to create trends rather than follow them and don’t release our entire collection at once like most brands. We prefer to drip feed it little by little to maintain an air of exclusivity. Last year’s collection was called "New Royals" and was inspired by Japanese culture and style. This year’s collection is "Elysian Fields" which is based on Greek mythology. It is all about beauty and divine feeling and is only available in a limited quantity. Think raw fabrics with flowing lines with white, creams and gold.
RedThread Apparel X poncho
Brandon Williams What advice would you give to other young people looking for a career in fashion?
To be honest I don't know what advice I could give them except that you just have to believe in yourself and focus on making it a reality and connections are extremely important in the fashion industry. You need to go out a lot and get to know a lot of people in the industry.
What are some of the major challenges facing South African youth these days?
I would say that the major challenges facing South African youth are what's currently happening with universities with a large portion of the population not having access to proper education and basic services.
What are your thoughts on Generation Z?
I think Generation Z is the future, as a member of that generation I can tell that it's a generation full of individuals who want to achieve greatness in life and not just settle for the norm. What is the significance of Youth Month in 2017?
I feel like every month should be Youth Month because the youth are South Africa’s future and the leaders of tomorrow.
Which social media channel is your favourite?
My favourite social media channels are Instagram, Facebook and YouTube as I'm always on those. You could say that my inspiration comes from what I see there every day.
What is your favourite emoji?
My favourite emoji is the black heart because that's kind of how I feel about myself, someone that doesn't really show emotions but cares a lot.
Clive Maqetuka What’s next for RedThread Apparel X?
I want to continue building RedThread Apparel and make it stronger each day. RedThread Apparel X is a movement and every movement has a purpose. RedThread Apparel X’s purpose is to create a brand-new fashion sense that's totally outlandish and out of the ordinary and until I achieve that I won't stop – I never settle.
The garments can be ordered directly via their Facebook page: and Instagram account: @redthread_apparel_. For more info contact Daniel Moleka on 064 055 5097 or on email.
