Gugu

I matriculated at Pearson High School in 2013 and went on to study Fashion and Textile design at the Nelson Mandela University, where I graduated Cum Laude with my honours in 2017. Post grad I was hired as the in-house designer and retail manager for Mohair SA where I worked for three years and started my own brand GUGUBYGUGU.

Upon completing my studies, I was selected as one of the top 40 South African emerging creative’s class of 2018, for design Indaba, where I showcased my collection ‘Golden State of Mind’. Design Indaba proved to be a success as I was selected as one of the top 25 young creatives in South Africa to watch out for. Soon after, I was selected as one of the 12 contestants on the first season of Project Runway South Africa, where I was the youngest to compete. In 2020 I was selected as a finalist for SA fashion week Menswear scouting competition where I showcased my sustainable mohair menswear collection titled ABOMHLABA. In 2021 I spent 3 months learning the operations of the clothing manufacturing business. I then quite my job at Mohair SA as I was finally ready to focus on my brand and ended the year by being selected as one of three SA designers to showcase at the biggest fashion week in Africa Lagos Fashion week.

GUGUBYGUGU is a proudly South African fashion brand, committed to producing quality modern streetwear. Our purpose is to produce quality, sustainable high fashion garments inspired by African stories. As a designer I draw inspiration from my surroundings, I have always been obsessed with redefining the African Narrative within the global fashion scene, and designing from my own personal experiences, questions and thoughts.