Twenty-one-year-old Nonhlanhla Blessing Ndlovu taught herself how to crochet from YouTube during the COVID-19 pandemic. What started as a lockdown hobby and a way to soothe her anxiety has bloomed into a business, Crochet Couture ZA, that allows Nonhlanhla to share her love for crocheting with the world. We caught up with Nonhlanhla to find out more.
What do you love about crocheting?
Crocheting is such a calming activity. It helps with my anxiety and it’s quite addictive. I find myself crocheting every day whenever I have the chance to.
Can you tell us about the first item you crocheted?
The first item I successfully made was a very small black bikini top at the beginning of lockdown in 2020. I showed my friends and they started to send me crochet designs they liked online. I then made them bikini tops after several attempts to create different crochet-sized bra cups. This then led to my friends asking how much I would charge them to make certain crochet items which ignited the a business idea. I initially started crocheting alone, but when I started receiving a lot of crochet orders I formed a team of crocheters for Crochet Couture ZA and we now work together!
How would you describe your designs to someone who has not seen them?
I would describe my designs as elaborate and open weave. We use the latest fashion trends as a guide and inspiration to create patterns that suite our customers’ tastes.
What influences your designs in terms of style, shape, and colour?
The latest trends and our different collections influence the design and colour. An example would be the asymmetrical clothing designs that have become quite popular in the fashion industry. We draw inspiration from these and then sketch up a few designs we’re able to create a crochet pattern for. We then attempt to crochet it which may take several weeks to complete. Our colours are usually influenced by the season.
What do you wish people understood better about the process of creating a crocheted piece?
People need to understand that crocheting is something that has no shortcuts. It is done entirely by hand and no machine can replicate different crochet stitches.
It is so demotivating when fast fashion brands steal designs because it can take days to weeks or even months to complete crochet projects. It also becomes demotivating when fast fashion brands sell the designs at low prices to give the impression that crochet is cheap. This causes people to assume that the prices crocheters charge are ridiculous whereas crocheters charge based on the number of hours, technique, and their quality of work.
People need to prioritise supporting small crochet businesses and not fast fashion brands because we are protecting the craft of crochet and respecting the people who make crochet pieces.
Can you tell us why size-inclusivity is important?
One of my focuses when I started crocheting and with my first Crochet Couture ZA shoot was ensuring that I could cater to all sizes and I wanted to show this with different-sized models in my crochet bikinis.
The fashion industry needs to focus more on size inclusivity, because everyone should feel included and not limit themselves to certain designs because of their size.
As a petite person, I struggle with my size because certain brands don’t cater to my body size. This is why with our new pieces we ensure they can be made in S, M, L, and XL so everyone can be included and this is what we wanted with our ‘BODIFIED‘ collection: “for girls, by girls” which aims to promote body positivity and upliftment.
What motivates you to grow as a brand?
The fact that crochet items are not easily accessible in South African retail stores keeps us going. As a brand, we’re motivated to become a brand with exclusive crochet items that make it hard for fast fashion brands to replicate because of the intricacy of the craft.
Can you share a few small, local businesses that you have been loving, lately?
A few small local businesses that I have been loving have to be Solo Sanctuary, BROKE, Lost Couture, and Leaf Apparel.
What are you looking forward to in the future for Crochet Couture?
The future for Crochet Couture ZA is looking bright as we’re looking to expand our crochet team in the future and extend our reach as far as possible.
We’ve already had our pieces worn abroad! We’re also starting to look into collaborating with South African creatives and possibly having our pieces on runways one day. Word on the street is that we’ll be collaborating with an event soon so people should keep an eye out on our page!
- Images supplied by Nonhlanhla Blessing Ndlovu
- To learn more about Crochet Couture ZA, follow them on Instagram.
