Fashion Church - Helping Local Designers Sell Their Wares
It was during his many travels while an editor of an online magazine that Mathew Motsweni realised that many South African designers were struggling to sell their clothes to a broader market.
They were lacking a platform from which they could sell their clothes to local and international buyers.
Motsweni, an Information Technology graduate, did not have much of an interest in fashion at the time, but realised that what these designers needed was an online store that would allow them to showcase their designs, grow their brands, and sell their creations to a wider market.
Created in 2013, Fashion Church offers exactly that service to 15 or so designers. Unlike other entrepreneurs, the only set-up funds Motsweni needed to get his business going was R50 to register the website’s domain name.
However, as easy as it was to establish the venture, the online business has faced a number of challenges.
“Some designers would not tell me if an item was out of stock so that I could remove it from the website . . . so I would sometimes be selling a product that was sold out. And since customers had already paid, I had to refund them,” he says.
If you are an entrepreneur and are interested in this kind of business, you need to make sure that you put your business out there, because if customers don’t see you, they won’t trust you
That South African consumers are still unsure about online shopping is another challenge.
“You need to be patient. Here in SA not everyone trusts online shopping, but we are slowly getting there. If you are an entrepreneur and are interested in this kind of business, you need to make sure that you put your business out there, because if customers don’t see you, they won’t trust you,” he says, adding that establishing a relationship of trust is vital.
Motsweni also stresses the importance of keeping up to date with trends: “The key thing is to always do your research about what is trending in fashion so that you don’t sell things that are outdated.”
Two years after opening the store, Motsweni says business is slowly picking up. He’s happy with the progress and says international orders are coming in.
Even though his main focus is on selling clothes, he also helps the designers to grow their brands by getting their marketing and pricing right.
“Their prices are very high at times, as if they’re only targeting the high-end market. I sometimes get complaints from middle- and working-class customers, which is not good. They need to cater for all markets.
“When I ask some of the designers who their existing customers are, most of them will tell me they’re their friends and family. Social media is there for them to use, which is what we use when they work with us. We market them on social media, because not only does it expose them to the South African market, but to a market outside the country as well,” he says.
While Motsweni says he became part of the fashion world by mistake, the 27-year-old’s life has changed significantly.
“Before I started selling clothes I was a simple guy who did not care about fashion. But since starting my business I have fallen in love with the industry and I believe fashion in SA is going places. The new trend of African prints has already put us on the map, which is why I want to continue to push local designers overseas,” he says.
Motsweni’s biggest joy since starting the business is watching designers grow after showing their work on Fashion Church.
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