Flight attendant soares into fashion designing

She came to Johannesburg almost 20 years ago with just a CV and three months’ rent.

Today she is a flight attendant at South African Airways (SAA) and is also the founder of Indigenously.

Indigenously is what Xoli Madlala (39) describes as a distinctly African clothing brand for the modern woman.

Madlala studied travel and tourism but the fashion bug hit her when she started working at SAA.

“I got interested in image consulting and enrolled for training to become an image consultant. I’ve always loved clothing and fashion,” said the passionate businesswoman.

“My clients would say you always take us shopping at all these stores, we’d like to buy directly from you. I thought to myself, OK, that’s something to explore.”

The Glen Marais resident then had to decide which angle to go with if she was going to enter the world of fashion.

“I concluded that I needed to be true to myself. I love everything African, from the hairstyles to food. I then decided to go the African print route,” she explained.

She looked at the fashion market and needed to find a way to position herself.

“I figured that ultimately for me, African print is not for special occasions. I wanted to go for an African everyday look that is fashionable which you can take anywhere and not feel like you’re sticking out like a sore thumb,” she pointed out.

To complete this modern everyday African look, Madlala needed the perfect African print material, which she has found in Ghana.

“Working full-time at SAA as a flight attendant comes in very handy with stocking my fabrics because most of my fabrics are from Ghana. Whenever I’m that side, while my colleagues are chilling by the pool, gallivanting, I hit the markets and source my fabrics,” she enthusiastically stated.

With fabrics in hand, the 39-year-old needed to find assistance in bringing her designs to life by working with a seamstress.

“I did not study fashion designing, so I started asking around and used one or two people who didn’t quite get the vision.”

Madlala chuckled as she recalled how it was trial and error while she sifted through a number of seamstresses until she found the right person.

“I am very fussy when it comes to attention to detail and finishes. I still have the first three garments that were made for me. They were such a big joke. It was one of those moments when you either laugh or cry because I felt like I was being punked,” she jokingly recalled.

She asked God to guide her to the right person.

“I eventually found him in Pretoria. We struck an agreement where I provide the fabrics and come up with the designs and he brings the designs to life. It was a match made in heaven.”

The clothing brand owner started showcasing her designs on a small scale and the demand was overwhelming. Her brand was officially launched on September 9 last year.

“We are going for six months, the turnout was great and this proved to me that I was onto something great. That’s when I started chanelling more money into this. I had to conduct research on a cut, make and trim (CMT) company. This works best for mass production. I found one and I’m very happy,” she said.

Where does the name Indigenously come from?

“Every day I’m proudly African, I believe that I need to be true. Indigenously says that I’m indigenously and proudly African every day, from my clothing to my hair, accessories, food, everything.”

Madlala will host her second pop-up on April 22 in collaboration with the Aviator Hotel, Kempton Park. The event will start at 1pm.

At the pop-up event, different business owners will be given a platform to showcase their products, from wigs to accessories to socks.

“People can expect a wonderful shopping experience, exclusivity, eating and networking with like-minded people.”

She is hoping to host this pop-up on a monthly basis.