Sindiso Khumalo

Sindiso Khumalo is a South African textile and fashion designer based in Cape Town. Trained as an architect, she founded her eponymous womenswear label in 2015 and works with hand-drawn prints, organic and recycled materials, and artisan workshops in South Africa and Burkina Faso.Each of her collections takes a Black woman from history as its subject, among them the South African activist Charlotte Maxeke, the Yoruba princess Sarah Forbes Bonetta, and the American abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Khumalo was one of eight finalists for the 2020 LVMH Prize and received the Best Independent Designer award at that year's Green Carpet Fashion Awards. Quotes I’m worried about the future, especially since our generation has faced both a recession and a global pandemic within the last 15 years. However, I do believe that we are a resilient generation and will make changes to adapt. What are your sentiments about the future? I believe sustainability will be at the forefront of how our businesses operate and that we will really change how we do things because of what has been happening. We will fly less, be kinder to the planet and hopefully build a more wholesome world. What are your sentiments about the future? I started working with NGOs from the very start of the brand. Initially, it was just commissioning small samples in rural parts of South Africa. Then I started to work closely with the United Nations Ethical Fashion Initiative. They invited me to Milan to present my collection during Fashion Week and our relationship developed from there. I was introduced to various workshops – and the rest is history How are you engaging with your community during this challenging time? Is there anything you’re doing to support those working along the supply chain? We are coping – trying to build my creative virtual community, working remotely with my pattern cutters and making samples from home. I also have two children I’m home-schooling and looking after. You can imagine that the days are packed; it’s about finding the right equilibrium with work-life balance. I probably have about 10 Zoom meetings a week and try to just manage everything remotely. How are you and your brand dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic? As a Black woman I want to make sure that we’re also part of history,” “Harriet Tubman was my height – she was tiny – and freed 70 slaves. I want my kids to know that there were superheroes who were Black and female and petite. I am paying homage to specific Black women from a specific time in history to ensure their stories are told. I can’t believe there are some South Africans who don’t know who Harriet Tubman is. I want to educate people on Black culture and Black history and I think it’s really important that I use my platform to educate, and to bring hope as well. I feel like if I share these stories, people will feel like they can make some change, even if it’s small. It’s important for us to have these role models and talk about them because they are icons of our history. External links Category: living people Category:Women from South Africa Category:Fashion designers from South Africa