Unique Sibanda: Fashionably Unique

Ravishingly bold and beautiful.

With a flair for fashion and design, Unique Sibanda conjures up the most distinct and contemporary clothing and jewellery pieces. Hailing from Zimbabwe but based in the United Kingdom, this Creative Director is international! Her collections have graced many a runway and exhibition such as Africa Fashion Week London, Zimbabwe Fashion Week and Pulse London to name but a few.

Unique has over 20 years of experience in the industry; her work has snatched the attention of many eyes which has even lead to a nomination as the Fashion Designer of the Year in the 2015 Zimbabwe International Women’s Awards. She also wears many hats firstly as the Creative Director of Le Ekhaya (which means "back home") as well as the Director at Being Unique. She shares with us her take on entrepreneurship and how to own your story.

So walk us through what you do?

"I am a social entrepreneur, I like to think I solve problems. Le Ekhaya is a Ndebele inspired brand, which allows me to express my fusion of roots in clothing and accessories that speak to visionary women. Le Ekhaya is not built on trends but heart. Being Unique is a new company that focuses on building, growing and expanding creative businesses, by providing the necessary tools to ensure sustainability. I personally coach and consult with small fashion businesses on systemising their processes to ensure that they get off on the right foot and sustain their growth whilst scaling up."

What exactly inspired you to start your company? "The problems that I faced in building Le Ekhaya. So I'd say me! The issues I came across were varied from sourcing, pricing, business structure, Her Majesty's Revenue Collection (HMRC), and there just wasn't enough information out there for creatives. I had done the courses but no one ever really touched on all fashion related issues. I realised that I was learning as I grew, so I decided to make this also available for people like me within the fashion industry."

Speaking of growth, tell us a little about your team

"Le Ekhaya is really just a team of one and I work with freelancers other creatives within the space. There is no dull moment, literally none. No two days are ever the same and that is why I love what I do! Being Unique is Community interest company that focuses on building local creative businesses and as a community based company, we work with local authorities in East London."

So far, what are your biggest achievements? "Discovering my voice and redefining what success means to me. In this, I have been able to then passionately go after my purpose. Everything else that has happened was just a part of me walking in my purpose."

Why should anyone use your service? What makes you different? I provide a service that is made for the client, and take great joy in seeing my clients achieve their goals. I don't believe in competition as we are all different, and differences can never be compared, we are just not built the same way. Our experiences and perceptions shape who we are. I just help to make that experience much easier.

What are your future aspirations for your business? The possibilities are limitless, we are shooting for the galaxies. I am currently working on a new concept for Le Ekhaya and we're just testing a few markets.

What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it? "I have been my biggest challenge. This past year I've had to really sit back and analyse the situations I have found myself in. We are basically a result of the culmination of the choices we have made in life. Now I step back and think things through first and am not driven by reactions."

What are the biggest challenges that you think African entrepreneurs face? "Confidence and identity. Our identity as individuals and as community, Our confidence in ourselves and as a collective. We can not build when we don't know who we are, what we really stand for, what we offer and where we going. We have been told for so long that we were a certain way, when really it was always up to us to decide for ourselves."

What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other entrepreneurs looking to start a business? "Just do it. Mistakes will happen but lessons are what the journey will teach you. It all works together for a perfect story. Also, trust your instincts even if it scares you and just do it afraid. In terms of lessons to be learnt, I think defining who you really are and doing that is really important. For example, I am the only one who can tell and write my story the way I want it to be read. Ideally, the lessons come from knowing your story and being able to write it. As a community our story is how we choose to write it. I just want to help one story at a time, one client at a time and eventually it will become our collective story."

Instagram: leekhaya , leekhayauk & beingunique_purpose

Facebook: LeEkhayaLTD & Le Ekhaya UK

Twitter: LeEkhaya