Let Bella from Nyongane make you belle of the ball
The unemployed BCom graduate amazes many of her clients with her taste for fashion without any former education or training in fashion.
Born and raised in Nyongane, a village which lies en route to the home of the country’s Big 5, the Kruger National Park, an upcoming entrepreneur, 26-year-old Felicia Mkhabela, affectionately known as Bella, is making ends meet with fashion design.
Mkhabela is also a self-taught make-up artist and an events decorator.
Read: The Art of Fashion
“I am a self-taught fashion designer and believe my journey started when I was just a baby. I was born with the desire to create. I have always had that passion of creativity in me and always used it in so many ways. Growing up I made all kinds of doll clothing, did DIY projects, painted my room, and a whole lot more,” she said.
Her desire for the industry started four years ago when she needed a dress for a pageant she had entered. After fruitless efforts in trying to find a suitable outfit, she decided to make her own dress which was marvelled at by many.
“From there I sharpened my skills by teaching myself how to design different clothes and eventually turned it into a business. While I was a student I used to do part-time jobs as a promoter and that’s how I got to buy my first sewing machine,” Mkhabela added.
She believes that hard work and discipline pave the way for one to reach their desired dreams.
During lockdown she came up with creative and fashionable designs for face masks for both young and old.
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“I cater mostly for people attending events, so fewer social gatherings due to lockdown regulations means no clients for me. In these challenging times creating fashionable masks has been an option,”
she said.
She believes the youth can take action and help in the fight against the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. “I urge the youth to spread community awareness of the virus, especially to the elders,” she said.
Mkhabela is the founder of #Bella-Take-Me-To-Prom, where she volunteers to dress girls from disadvantaged families for their matric dance.
