Young entrepreneur turns satin ribbons into blooming business
At just 20, Mulweli Maguvha is proving that creativity, determination, and a willingness to learn can turn a simple idea into a growing business.
What began as a desire to showcase her creativity has blossomed into a promising small business for 20-year-old entrepreneur Mulweli Maguvha.
Maguvha is the founder of Silk&Satin, a business that creates handcrafted satin flower bouquets from scratch using satin ribbon. Each bouquet is carefully designed to resemble real flowers, offering customers a unique and long-lasting alternative to fresh blooms.
She creates a variety of designs, including dahlia, plumeria, and eternal roses, as well as beautifully beaded bouquets.
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Inspired by South Africa’s high youth unemployment rate, Maguvha decided not to wait for opportunities to come her way, but to create one for herself. “I wanted to showcase my talent and also create an opportunity for myself. I wanted people to see that I have something I can do with my hands.”
Using 4cm satin ribbon, she cuts each strip into smaller pieces before carefully shaping them into petals and assembling them into realistic flowers. Depending on the size of the order, the process can take time, with a bouquet of seven roses taking about an hour and a half to complete, including wrapping.
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Maguvha launched Silk&Satin at the beginning of October last year, while she was still studying. Although the business started slowly, she says demand has grown steadily this year. “When I first started, business was slow, because I was still studying, but since the beginning of this year, it has really been growing.”
Remarkably, Maguvha is self-taught. She learnt the art of making satin flowers by watching online videos and practising until she perfected her craft. “When you are at home, during a gap year, I believe you have so much time in your hands. That’s when it hit me. I used to scroll on Tik Tok, seeing these flowers, and thought to myself I can do this.”
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