Pinafores keep Melville entrepreneur Khona Khumeni smiling [Watch]

The Melville pinafore lady, as she is widely known, believes there is enough demand for her product to be shared with other pinafore manufacturers.

Khona Khumeni owns Khona K Designs and recently claimed 3rd place in the iLembe Chamber of Commerce entrepreneur competition.

Working from her home’s garage, she employs seven people and outsources production to another five SMMEs owing to high demand.

“We urgently need more machines, perhaps five, because we are struggling to meet the demand as we get orders from across the country. We have even had to stop accepting walk-ins and only deal with orders. There is a big enough market for other people to join in,” said the mother of one.

The 28-year-old took sewing lessons to nurse her obsession for refined clothes, not realising it was the beginning of a booming business.

“As a plus-sized woman, getting the perfect fit is always a problem. So to dress the way I like and be comfortable, I went for basic sewing lessons to make my own dresses. Other plus-sized women then approached me, asking me to make dresses for them too. Unfortunately, we have temporarily stopped with the dresses as the pinafores are keeping us too busy,” said Khumeni.

Holding a financial management diploma from Thekwini College, her long-term goal is to own a clothing factory producing her own clothing label.

She said the entrepreneur competition helped her a lot in terms of record-keeping and the financial management of her business.

“I now know that I have to keep records so that I am able to see where and how I am spending my money,” she said.

She thanked everybody, especially her family, who supported her even when she herself had doubts.

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