Self Employed Creative’s
Red carpets, paparazzi and glamour; this is the city of gold Johannesburg which is still considered Gauteng’s fashion capital. Designers from Pretoria relocate to Johannesburg to make a name for themselves but not Harold Phetoe from Attridgeville, a township in the west of Pretoria.
By: Letlhogonolo Ndhlovu
“The fashion industry is clustered with popular designers such as David Tlale, we do not have exposure in Pretoria and I want to change that,” expressed Harold.
Harold is the founder of Phaphet designs and works with his wife Katlego who deals with the marketing side of the business. His studio, which he mentioned he was still busy decorating, is quite urban and spacious.
In his studio, Harold designs very elaborate and sophisticated women’s line .He grew up with an interest for fashion from watching his seamstress mother make dresses for people and when his mother was not sewing, he would attempt sewing using her machine. “I grew up loving clothes and I find that I fit in the fashion industry,” said Harold.
It is all about hard work because it is difficult to survive unless someone notices your talent and harnesses it…
And so in the year 1992 Harold studied for a 2 year diploma in fashion which he was not quite satisfied with. He later enrolled for a diploma in fashion at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) and is working towards his masters in fashion. “I focus more on going to school so that I improve my skill and so that I understand the business side of the fashion industry. I’ve been exploited in this industry which is why I decided to start my own business,” he said.
Working from his home studio, Harold has acquired clientele from Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg. “This industry eroded me, it is all about hard work because it is difficult to survive unless someone notices your talent and harnesses it,” advised Harold.
Phaphet has showcased at fashion shows like Vukani, African Window and the South African State Theatre. Harold also travelled to China for a textile course which he won a competition for designing a dress he said was inspired by the dragon boat festival in China.“Most inspirations come from looking at a flower then I quickly sketch it. I don’t sleep much because the minute I close my eyes I see something and I immediately start working on it,” chuckled Harold.
As if working towards building his brand Phaphet is not time consuming enough, Harold and Katlego work with idling young kids in Attridgeville teaching them simple skills like sketching or modelling to keep them away from the streets. Harold has big dreams for Phaphet designs and changing the fashion industry in Pretoria. “Why can’t we also close down a street in Attridgeville and host a fashion show?” mentioned Katlego.
When asked about the name of the brand, Kaltego explained that Harold’s names combined make up the word Phaphet and “people are puppets when it comes to clothes if you think about it. When we create new ranges they will follow,” she said. How true is that statement all you fashion followers waiting for the who’s who in fashion to share the 2014 winter trends?
For more information or to get hold of Phaphet designs, contact them on phaphetdesigns@gmail.com
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