Creator of the iconic Madiba shirt shares his knowledge with future fashion designers through a skills transfer programme
Ndamase collaborated with Scientology volunteer ministers to bring the basics of fashion and practical skills to his students.
Renowned South African fashion designer Sonwabile Ndamase knows what it means to overcome adversity in the cut-throat fashion industry.
Ndamase, an artist who created the iconic Madiba shirt, recently collaborated with the Kyalami-based Scientology volunteer ministers to bring the basics of fashion and practical skills to his students to prepare them for the ‘ruthless world’ of fashion design and life in general.
Through his Fibre Processing and Manufacturing Sector Education and Training Authority accredited South African Fashion Design Agency (Safda) fashion school, Ndamase equips his students with technical fashion skills and Scientology’s practical Tools for Life programme for tackling social issues.
“I got introduced to the Tools for Life programme offered by the Scientology volunteer ministers and I saw that these tools could be useful in empowering our people”, said Ndamase.
Convinced that he had found a practical way to empower his students, he exposed them to the programme and morphed it into his curriculum to give them technical training in fashion and vital life skills.
“I am saddened by the current state of our country and the struggles we are going through. Our entire future depends on youth and I want to play my part in inspiring them.”
In his fashion school, he teaches more than just technical skills – he also offers soft skills, such as communication, conflict resolution, barriers to learning, financial ethics, and more provided by the programme.
“They [skills] touch on individual and personal issues. We must work together to change our country. One thing I have learnt is that you must share your experience with others. We must share the cake. No one must eat alone.”
Ndamase fought his way from a small village in the Eastern Cape to the international stages of fashion to showcase his taste in fabric, a taste that led him to dress one of the most iconic figures in the world — Nelson Mandela.
Despite the hardships and challenges he faced, he also became the executive president of Safda, as well as the head of the Vukani Range Creations fashion house, and founder of the annual Vukani Fashion Awards.
Last year, his taste and aesthetics for fashion even brought him to the global stage of Paris and Milan Fashion Week where his Vukani range was met with international acclaim.
Chantel Dube, one of Ndamase’s students, said “Mr Ndamase loves to share knowledge, teach us about life and now he has brought us the Tools for Life and I feel like this is really helpful with all the issues we face in life and at home.”
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