Ready for a right royal affair

THE countdown to the Durban July has begun and fashion designers are very busy taking measurements and drawing sketches for clients for this highly fashionable event. This year's theme is A Right Royal Affair.

Mercia Hlatshwayo, founder and designer-in-chief of Mertiques, says the organisers could not have chosen a better theme.

"This is a very workable theme. We will see lots and lots of royal attire and exotic hats. For my clients, I will draw inspiration from Kate Middleton. On her wedding day, she stepped out in a conservative lace gown that exuded class. This should not be difficult because my label thrives on class and understated elegance," she says.

Though her presence is palpable in the fashion industry, you will never see Hlatshwayo trying to outdo celebs on the red carpet. But this does not mean that her designs do not make it to the red carpet.

The 44 year old has dressed the who's who, including the ever-stylish ManNtuli Zuma, Miss Earth SA Nondyebo Dzingwa, Bonang Mateba and Deborah Fraser among others. She says she is busy designing for some of these clients.

She says she often gets inspiration for her collections from everyday life. She believes that her clients are more important than her own personality cult.

"This is what drives the brand. Making the client our focal point and making sure that they step out with confidences is what we are all about," she says.

"My clients come in different shapes and sizes, but they all have one thing in common. They like the uniqueness of my work and the fact that my designs fit like a glove. We concentrate on the person's figure and focus on what is good in a person," Hlatshwayo says.

Besides couture, she also designs wedding gowns and men's suits.

"My passion is primarily couture and wedding garments. I have created many wedding gowns for celebrities and I also made my own wedding dress," she says with pride.

The Phefeni Secondary School, Soweto, matriculant's journey to the red carpet was not easy. She had to do odd jobs to finance her studies. In 2004, her luck finally changed. She left her job and enrolled at the Design School of Southern Africa in Illovo, Johannesburg, where she completed a three-year diploma course in fashion design, marketing, visual communications, basic and intermediate drawing. After obtaining a degree in fashion from the same institute, Hlatswayo did an apprenticeship under the tutelage of heavyweight fashion designer JJ Schoeman.

Then she decided to take a chance and set up her own design house. And it paid off.

She has since opened stores at Soweto's Maponya and Johannesburg's Randridge malls and her designs have featured in various fashion magazines.

She has nothing but good things to say about her mentor: "Working for JJ Schoeman taught me a thing or two about fashion. I learnt that it is not only about glamour, but about making money as well. "Fashion is a very tricky business and if you are not careful, you can be confused by all the glamour," she says.

Mertiques has grown with the times, in spite of not hogging the fashion runways and also not advertising.

So what's the secret of Hlatshwayo's success?

"I sketch my own designs from scratch, prior to even sourcing fabric and patterns, to the eventual sewing.

"This means that each creation is carefully planned 'cause I enjoy seeing the end result with clients satisfied with what my team can produce. And that's key to retaining a satisfied customer. We use different kinds of fabrics and colour pallets, including prints, brocade, linen, satin, you name it and we use it," she says.

She adds that her evening wear is modern yet chic, entry level and ready-to-wear.

"This is where every designer's bread and butter is. We also cater for special occasion designs for hire as well as for customers who can afford to purchase.

"Mertiques' focus and attention is always on the customer. We believe in providing individual attention and style," she says.

This fashion designer is also a wife and very proud mother of four children.

"This is the most enjoyable part of my life.

"In whatever I do, my family always comes first because they are the ones who warm my home," Hlatshwayo said."