Bloemfontein-born 32-year-old fashion entrepreneur Refiloe Mocwa, wants to give emerging designers a helping hand through her business, House of Designers Agency (Hoda).
Mocwa, who sold her taxi business to kick start her fashion career, says she can't quite remember when she was never part of the fashion industry.
“It has always been in me ever since I can remember.”
What services does Hoda provide?
We offer a variety of services with a strict aim of perfecting our client's brand before it lands on the market. Our services include; sample development, patterns and grading, fabric sourcing, conceptualisation of collection, branding and packaging, mentorship, logistics. We basically hold your hand from the beginning of the journey until we place your brand in stores.
Are the services free?
Hoda services are not free. However at the moment we are working with various stakeholders to come on board by assisting with funding that could be helpful for us to incubate as many young designers as we can within the Hoda structures.
How many emerging designers have you helped so far?
So far we have helped a total of five designers and have more that we are ready to kick start with.
How long has Hoda been in operation?
Hoda has been in operation for almost one year now and we are proud of the reception that we have got from people. But most importantly it's the gap that we have managed to bridge for so many designers who needed that extra push to launch or maintain the growth of their brands.
How does one get help? What are the criteria to get assistance?
The criteria is not that tough, often we just look at the basics such as if the brand is ideally strong enough or if there are basics that the designer is still missing, of which we can still assist with through our mentorship programmes before the brand hits the market. To get in touch for assistance you can visit our website, email or call us.
What challenges have you encountered in the fashion business? Did this inspire the creation of Hoda?
Fashion design is a fantastically rewarding career and a great way for talented individuals but it is very challenging and you have to be prepared for the challenges. One of the challenges that I faced is standing out in a crowded market — and believe me, it is crowded. There are lots of manufacturers copying the same trends and doing the same things. Everyone looks alike. Some are forced to do the same thing as other brands because it is cheap to do so. Funds are really one of the things that pulls fashion designers down. That of course was a great motivation to start Hoda to fully equip fashion designers with an all-round guide that makes their brands stand out enough to make it to the biggest boutiques in the country.
What would you like to see change in the fashion industry?
Hoda was started with a realisation that fashion, as much as it is one of the economic contributors that creates a majority of jobs, it is still one of the looked down upon industries. There is little to no effort being put towards its growth.
As Hoda we want to be the drivers of change by closing the opportunity gap that many startup fashion designers feel as they attempt to jump over to making their brands noticeable across the country and even beyond. As well as prove to various stakeholders that fashion is an impactful industry that can create a lot of jobs.
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