Introducing my friend Iry...

...Sibhonda, called Iry by most people, is a fashion designer and also passionated cook. His store is located in the Observatory Lifestyle Market (next to Observatory train station). He repairs all kinds of cloth and designs his own under the name "Itlarhi". I pass by the market daily on the way to varsity and witness him working long after sunset. 

Over the past half year, he started his evening dinner project "Dine With Me" giving people the possibility to exchange their experience over a delicious plate of traditional food. He also gives lessons on the sewing machine, introduced a course that is currently running and organises spoken word events for the youth from the township.

 

 

Want to hear more? Read Iry's story here...

 

"My father is a great tailor, my mother a great designer.

Once upon a time my father worked in the mines for a long, long time.

We are 7 in my family and I am the second from the last.

In his stories, my father always tells us that when he got his first job, the first thing he bought it was an industrial sewing machine. I remember myself crawling in that machine while my mother was designing, she learned how to sew by herself, after my father bought the machine, and from that time on never looked back. She started with alterations and eventually she designed for the whole community .

With his second wage my father bought another machine that he used to do alterations after work for the people working in the the mines with him.

When I grew up, I never thought I would be like my parents. After school, I used to do my own things. I never considered to be a tailor even though there was machine at home and I never tried to use it until...

 

After I finished my metric, I went to join my father in the mines but he didn’t want me to work with him because all of my older brothers were there by him working in the mines too. So they didn’t want me and my young brother to do the same thing, they wanted me to do something different, and that it was for me to continue my studies. I registerred for a sound engineering course at a college but when it was about to begin I found out the course I was attending was not for sound engineering but for fashion & designing. At first I was shocked and didn’t like it, I was court by surprise.

During the first week I thought I would never attend and finish the course I would just attend some days just to please my father and my older brothers and after that I would go and look for work.

After two days it was a week after a week it was two weeks and after two weeks it was a month. Something kept me going, I began to enjoy the class and of course the girls also kept me going and I was the only student who became a great attendance and great visual designer of all times in the collage.

After 3 month I was starting designing cloths and do some alterations for the class after hours and I started to get more and more jobs in the building where the collage was based from the people who were working there.

The founder of the college saw my potential and he offered me capital to establish my own business and from there I never looked back.

 

I already have my business out there and it is growing day by day. My love in fashion is also growing as it is in the business and I would like some of other days to own a beautiful and fashionable building with studios where I can design cloth for a lot of different people. 

I believe that good and strong fabrics and unusual styles make my cloth unique and will keep my clients coming back for more and that makes my brand stronger.

 

Over the last months I got very busy since my work got known in Observatory.

To keep up with the workload, the business needs an over locking machines & sewing machines since the business is growing I get many orders at the same time and I am unable to cater them because of the facilities that are not enough to engage in big opportunities which would help me to grow my brand.

I want to be able to employ one person so that I creat jobs and also help the community.

 

In the next five years I want to to see my brand “Itlarhi”( meaning the mamba, the fighter veycle) growing here in Cape Town first and everyone knowing about my brand and it’s origine.

 

My word of advice to the youth is: "Everything it has its own beginnings and it will come to an end for what has not been seen it’s still yet to come and that it’s me Itlarhi, the fighter"

 

 

Want to support Iry?

 

Since he gets many orders at the moment, it is the perfect chance for him to grow his business and secure his independance. In order serve all his orders, Iry needs an over locking machine and a new sewing machine.

        Overlocking machine:  R 6500 ( ~ 400 EUR)

Industrial Sewing machine:  R 5000 ( ~ 300 EUR) 

(Both second-hand)

 

If you would like to support Iry, by donating money, an item itself or get in touch with him to hear more 

contact me or visit his shop at the Observatory Lifestyle Market: