MBABANE – As the echoes of the 2025/26 Incwala Ceremony resonate across the kingdom, local entrepreneurs are reaping the rewards of a resurgent interest in Swati heritage.
Among the season’s biggest success stories is Lassies Craft, which reported moving a staggering 80 per cent of its inventory during the peak of the Incwala Ceremony.
The boutique, which specialises in modern traditional wear and hand-beaded crafts, became a visual staple of this year’s main day.
Attendees were seen in record numbers adorned in the shop’s signature ‘imihelwane’, the traditional cloths noted this season for their particularly vibrant and diverse colour palettes.
The surge in sales follows a pivotal move by owner and operator Lwazi Mlambo.
In October 2025, Mlambo expanded the brand’s footprint by opening a flagship store located opposite EswatiniBank. The shop was officially opened by the Minister for Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs Bongani Nzima alongside the ministry’s acting PS Phinda Nkosi, Senator Linda Nxumalo and Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture CEO Stanley Dlamini.
This new location complemented her existing station in town opposite Spar, effectively doubling her reach.
The impact of the expansion was immediate. Mlambo noted that since the opening of the new shop, sales have doubled compared to previous years.
“Compared to other years before I opened the new shop, I sold double and significantly better this year, we sold about 80 per cent of our craft and even on Tuesday, the shop was open before police came to close shops and people were still buying,” Mlambo stated, attributing the growth to both the increased floor space and the high demand for modern-traditional fusion.
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Lassies Craft owner Lwazi Mlambo (L). Mcolisi Mncina looking neat in Lassies Craft attire. (Courtesy pics)