Even when the world is changing so fast we need entrepreneurs to keep the wheel turning with creative thinking and innovation to breathe life into local communities. It’s World Entrepreneur’s Day on the 21st of August and we know that a fair few of our full time students have started their own businesses, even during times of COVID!
They’ve shown amazing growth mindsets, creativity and passion, and are an inspiration to us all. We reached out to our students to see what they’ve been up to. Take a look at some of the start-ups and new businesses.
Faith Matshinga
NweleZintle Business Owner
My Name is Faith Matshinga, I’m a Marketing & Advertising Communications Student. Fashion designer and Afro Hair Enthusiast.
NweleZintle started because I could not find products in the market that worked for my 4C Natural hair. My hair is the type that even a comb can’t penetrate. I love my natural hair and I just had to find a way to make it manageable. I decided to do research on what could make it soft, stop breakage, and help hair grow peacefully and happily.
One of the best things I have learned is all my hair needs is moisture. I started experimenting with natural herbs and oils and that’s where NweleZintle products came from.
We have 6 products in total that make your hair happy, soft, keeps it clean and smelling fresh, manageable and locks in moisture.
Xolisa Tamarana
Freelance Graphic Designer & Illustrator
https://www.behance.net/xolisaTamarana/projects
My name is Xolisa Ivan Tamarana, born 14 February 1997 in Mdantsane’s Cecilia Makhiwane Hospital, and something happened as I was carried out of the hospital, it will make sense in the end. There is no specific time I can say I started illustrating, I can only say I’ve been doing this my whole life. Honestly art has always been with and within me. The only time I’m at peace is when I’m creating art, the world is silent but the music is not.
On this day, I went to Stephanie Simpson, my illustration lecturer, I told her about my dream of developing my own illustration style and what follows is the advice I received. Steph said to do self portraits in three illustration styles I am good at and/or admire and so it began. I have always admired Leonardo Da Vinci’s work and my first illustration was realistic, detailed and a study. The second illustration was less detailed and more expressive with a variety of marker and fine liner strokes. Flat and simple was the third portrait, it’s minimalist style gave it an effortless communication trait. The final step was to choose one and so I did but also merged all three styles and had two illustration styles that form part of the Awkward X signature.
With ‘Godly’ I immortalised my representation in this world, it’s the form I chose to be remembered in. The artwork is my favourite of all, and also the exploration of black culture representation and identity is done from a personal level in this artwork.
Going back to leaving the hospital, I left with a lifetime companion, Ivy Tamarana, my twin sister, my biggest supporter. As someone who’s always up to something I can say I’m like Dexter (from Dexter’s Laboratory) and my sister can attest that.
All of Xolisa’s original artwork is for sale on his Instagram.
Gadija Kaprey
The Beauty Network & Nova Essentials Owner
@thebeautynetworkinc | @nova_essentials
thebeautynetworkinc | Nova_Essentials
I’m a Marketing & Advertising Communications student at Red & Yellow and have two businesses of my own.
The first is The Beauty Network which is a beauty and wellness business that sells collagen and raw biotics as well as sanitising and disinfecting supplies to professionals.
The Beauty Network supports women through our diverse network of therapists and distributors. What started out as a mobile therapy service has now changed to an in house spa based in the Southern Suburbs with our product range moving online. We are working on our website as well as the launch of some very new and exciting, locally produced, organic beauty products that will form part of The Beauty Network line. The Beauty Network was founded by 3 hard working female entrepreneurs who are all still studying while trying their best to provide quality service and products to their customers at affordable prices.
At our spa we have 4 different therapists to whom we provide a space to see their clients and work with one another.
I am also a therapist at The Beauty Network, which brings me to my second business, Nova Essentials. I am the only therapist For Nova Essentials which is a lash and brow specialist as well as a collagen and raw biotics distributor for The Beauty Network
Thanks so much for this opportunity! I’ve learnt so much at Red and Yellow which has granted my partners and I the opportunity to present our rebrand for The Beauty Network in the next two months. I’m very excited for people to see what we’ve already achieved and what we have on the way.
Sanelisiwe Igboanugo
Afrosundae Business Owner
My name is Sanelisiwe Igboanugo, founder and owner of Afrosundae.
The birth of Afro Sundae was from the love for Natural, healthy hair and the ability to nurture it. Afro Sundae is a premium South African hair product company offering 100% organic hair products that are free of chemicals like sodium, lauryl sulphate, parabens and chlorine, which are found in nearly all conventional conditioners and shampoos. Afro Sundae Natural Hair Products on the other hand are made with safe, gentle plant-based ingredients, which help to improve the health of your hair and scalp and are also 100% environmentally friendly. Afro Sundae is committed to offer women and men of all ages beauty hair products that combine everyday safety with effectiveness for the unique natural hair market.
Afro Sundae creates powerful, satisfying formulations based around natural ingredients that promote strong and healthy natural hair.
All Afro Sundae hair products contain healthy hair growing ingredients like Aloe Vera, Avocado, Shea Butter, Jojoba, Ana coconut extracts just to name a few, and other natural oils derived from plants and seeds which assist in the prevention of hair loss by treating conditions like eczema dandruff and androgenetic alopecia.
Saskia Rezelman
Graphic Designer & Art Director | Digital Marketing Agency
I am Saskia Rezelman, a first-year BA student studying Visual Communication.
During this lockdown period, I started a Digital Marketing Agency with two close friends.
We focus on getting small-time businesses on a competing digital level with a friendly smile and a price that they can afford.
WEB DEVELOPMENT | UX/UI BRANDING | SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING | GRAPHIC DESIGN | CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
At South Side-Up, our team is our business, we work simultaneously to ensure that every project is analysed from all angles and that our creativity is sparked from more than one flame. From Digital Marketing and Web development with our hands-on duo, Ryan and Connor to digital and graphic design with our ever-inventive Saskia; Here at South Side-up, armed with youthfulness, creativity and experience, we have all the ingredients needed to stir up your vision. Be it memorable storytelling for your brand or setting up high ranking websites, we’ve got you.
Watch the video below to find out more about South Side-Up:
Lutfia Kamish-Ebrahim
Freelance Graphic Designer & Illustrator
lutfiawashere is the portfolio and imagination of dynamic muslim Lutfia Kamish-Ebrahim. Exploring various creative outputs over the last 10 years; her work is a testament to her curious nature, hard-core passion and compulsion to create successful solutions in an aesthetically pleasing way.
Illustration and Graphic Design are among her skillsets, with a strong love for storytelling and building brand identity systems.
Francesco Pareti
Coma Streetwear Business Owner
Coma streetwear is a new clothing brand based in Cape Town, started and founded by Francesco.
Check their t-shirts out on Instagram.
Chloë Saville
Tattoo Artist & Freelance Graphic Designer
Chloë is a BA 3rd year student who has started her own Tattoo studio. She specialises in Hand poke designs & also finds time to be Freelance Graphic Designer on the side.
FRANCESCA COCKCROFT
Freelance Graphic Designer & Illustrator
Francesca is a second year student majoring in Illustration and minoring in Digital Design.
She enjoys being creative and expresses this through her personal illustration and design projects such as recent portrait commissions for Earthworks Magazine, T-shirt embroidery, jewelry making and tattoo designs, along with a variety of R&Y curriculum projects.
The South African Artists Magazine featured some of Francesca’s work in the 53rd issue (July 2020). Francesca loves and embraces a ‘hand-made’ style in her work. After graduating she plans on traveling to Europe and Japan for experience and to develop her craft further.
We are so proud of our Red & Yellow students setting the bar high with their entrepreneurial ventures and creative pursuits – imagine what they’ll do once they graduated! The world is at their fingertips. All of the above students are currently studying our full-time programmes.
If you are interested in pursuing a career in Graphic Design, User-Centered Design or Marketing & Adveritising, feel free to get in touch at fulltime@redandyellow.co.za with any and all questions or enquires.
