Born and raised in Malamulele Limpopo ,Faith Mabandi has always been passionate about fashion .Her passion was evident from a young age ,she used to make the family sit down and she would wear her mother’s clothes and put on a little fashion show for them .Although in her community fashion is not considered a career ,there was no doubt in her mind that’s the path she wanted to follow.
She completed her fashion design diploma at the University of Johannesburg in 2009.Straight after that she started working on establishing her own label which is called Envisage ,the name alone explains what she’s all about ,she sees fashion as more than just making clothes to her it’s a lifestyle .She currently does ladies wear and is hoping to branch out to mans wear in the near future ,and already has a good client base ,she caters for a working woman who knows what she wants out of life and is not afraid of trying something new .Her vision is to go beyond designing clothes but to be a household name and to stand as a role model one day to young people in South Africa.
Starting her own business is not as easy as she thought it would be, even though she had an idea of what she wanted to do, she knew her target market, her vision was clear ,she still hit many stumbling blocks in her way like finding a place to work in and building a solid client base .This shows that starting a business goes way beyond just having an idea but it requires patience, drive and knowing what you want .As they always say that Rome was not built in one day.
What she likes most about what she does is getting an opportunity to transform people’s lives through fashion, as they say you are what you wear so it goes beyond just giving someone a wardrobe change but it also tackles issues of confidence and acceptance .Like she always says “If you look good, you feel good”.
She currently lives in Johannesburg CBD and is working hard to see her vision come alive. One of her many future goals is to see herself showcasing her garments at fashion weeks around South Africa and the world.
