What you wear defines you, says Venda fashion designer

Lindelani Mphaphuli, known to her fans as the “Queen of Outfits”, has lately been recognized as the go-to person when one needs a fashionable outfit. This came after she dressed a couple of artists at the 2017 Tshivenda Music Awards event.

The 26-year-old from Elim, who is also a media student at the University of Venda, explained that she had developed a love for fashion when she was still very young. “My mother used to give us old clothes, so that we could design some clothes for our dolls. My dolls’ closet was full of unique styles.”

After her teenage years, the love of fashion grew even stronger and she decided to pursue it as a career. “When I told my mother about going to fashion school, she said media and fashion were sisters. She insisted that I study media instead,” Lindelani said laughing

Her family and friends played a major role in helping her to grow as a fashionista. In 2014, she started as a stylist where she used to give people advice on what to wear and how to wear it. This is also when her friend, Adelaide, started calling her “Queen of Outfits”.

From a young age she experimented and designed clothes with the help her two mentors; her aunt Josephine and Nick Ngobeni. She entered her designs in fashion shows and also designed gowns for beauty contests.

“My fashion drawing mentor, Mrs Ramugondo, always tells us to be natural and unique. She encourages us to design something that everyone can wear,” she added.

Lindelani said she was inspired by a character from Danielie Steel’s novel called Second Chance. The character, Fiona Monagha, works day and night to be a great fashion magazine editor. “I admire her strength and how she handles challenges in her field. I work hard every day and spend sleepless nights to push my media degree and my fashion business.”

Lindelani says the only thing that makes her different from other fashion designers is that she believes that people are what they wear. “What you wear defines you, and that’s why I let my designs talk to the world.”

She has her own swimwear line which will be officially launched soon. “The swimwear is made of Tshivenda fabric,” she said. “The only thing that I fear is the strike from my unfulfilled dreams when I am dead. That's why I work hard on them while I am still alive,” she adds.

Entertainment - Date: 04 November 2017

Maanda Bele

Maanda  Bele, born and raised in Nzhelele Siloam, studied journalism at the Tshwane University of Technology.

He is passionate about current news and international affairs.

He worked as part of the Zoutnet team as an intern in 2017.

He is currently a freelance journalist specialising in news from the Vhembe district.

Email: [email protected]