FULL FIGURED PASSION

The full figured woman wants to look as sweet, sexy and beautiful as anyone else.

No one understands that better than Mbali Boniwe Kunene who believes that every woman has a right to look and feel beautiful despite their waistline.  Her passion for designing has led her to launch Monte Elegance, a classy clothing label for full-figured women. Having no experience in sewing,  Mbali decided to enrol for a course in Fashion Design and Clothing Production at F Wilson Design Institute, Montana in Pretoria North.
She is currently doing her second year in this full time course.

Mbali’s schedule is very busy as she has to concentrate on both her school work and her first love, designing. But that is not a huge challenge for this go-getter as she is able to multitask.  She tells us more about herself.
The mother of two, was born 27 years ago and comes from a family of six girls with her being the youngest in the family. She did her primary education at St Mark’s and completed at the same school. She then enrolled at Tshwane University of Technology for a National Diploma in Tourism Management for three years.

“I worked for two years at the Swaziland Tourism Authority. I then left STA to work for a car rental company. At that time my passion for fashion design had grown so strong that I started building up my portfolio through the sketches I had drawn since my tertiary education years,” Mbali says.
Her love for fabrics dates back to when she was only six years old as she would sew tiny dresses for her dolls from her old clothes. “I had dolls until grade 11 and I would still make them clothes every chance there was.”Mbali then decided to do a secondary research on her niche market and she saw a gap in the fashion industry for fuller figured women/plus-size. That is when she opted to launch Monte Elegance, a classy clothing label for the fuller figures.

Custom made garments were produced at that time with the help of a tailor since she had no experience in sewing. Last year she had the opportunity to pursue her studies in Fashion Design and Clothing Production, she says. “This is my second year now. I am studying full-time at F Wilson Design Institute in Montana Pretoria. There is a huge demand for plus-size custom made clothing. I run my business after lectures. I get invites to Fashion Shows that give me exposure to the international market and will gladly share the knowledge with young aspiring designers when I return home.” Mbali may be contacted on +277 2280 7027.

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