Dancer makes smooth move with fashion label
Nowadays, it seems most players connected with the music industry, both big and small, have their own clothing label.
In this vastly oversubscribed market, 33-year-old Pondie Alefeng is confident his brand, ‘Skwena Clothing Line’ has what it takes to stand out from the clutter.
Established in 2018, Alefeng’s fashionable offering has already enjoyed impressive growth despite the stiff competition from similar styles.
Speaking to Voice Money this week, the Molepolole native, who has danced for Ditiro Leero, Matsieng, and Machesa in the past, revealed it has long been his dream to start an informal fashion label.
“I have always wanted to own a brand and I’m so proud because I used my picture to make a unique brand,” he declared.
Skwena merchandise includes bucket hats, t-shirts, caps, car stickers, jerseys, and plastic cups, with prices ranging from P100 to P400.
Encouraged by the demand for his product locally, Alefeng has his sights on taking Skwena international.
“Currently the reception has been good to an extent that I’m getting inquiries for orders from South Africa and Lesotho. I have a trip to SA in September so I’m looking forward to market the brand when I get there!”
So, what is the secret to Skwena’s success?
“I have introduced different items, designs and my style of printing helps me to differ with competitors. If you look at the picture that I used, it displays a man dancing phathisi, I grew up loving that style and everything about this cultural dance. I wanted to come up with something that will be loved by people of different ages and I planned to preserve culture for the upcoming generation,” noted the energetic creative, who is also a notable MC.
Before Covid-19, Alefeng would use music gatherings where he was dancing to ‘sell out’ his wares. The pandemic brought this revenue stream to a crashing halt.
“The brand is doing well locally, the only thing affecting the sales now is the current situation of the pandemic because most of our customers are the ones who attend events,” lamented Alefeng.
To combat this, the determined entrepreneur has gone all out on social media to drive his label, using platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik-Tok to take Skwena to the people.