My story is very interesting. I feel like I've always known that I wanted to be in fashion. I was born and raised in Khayelitsha, raised by a single mom, and was the sort of child that was really into school. So studying and choosing a career path was automatic for me - I wanted to go for something that would secure my future so that I could support my mom. That was the thinking when I was growing up. But I've always known that I want to be creative and I want to do fashion.

When I started the brand in 2015, I launched it at Design Indaba. What Design Indaba does is, it puts you in a space where your brand is introduced to the market, basically. At the time, I was still working from home in Khayelitsha and there was one thing I didn't think about when I was starting out and that was the possibility of rejection. If you have an idea of how Cape Town is laid out, there's a complete difference between what Khayelitsha looks like and what the rest of Cape Town looks like. So when I started taking my brand out, I got reminded that what I was creating wasn't expected to come out of Khayelitsha, and a lot of people sort of rejected it instantly because it was from Khayelitsha.

I always say Imprint is a storytelling tool for me. It doesn't just draw or create something exciting, it's all about the story. I think the stories that I've collected throughout, with the fashion weeks that I've done, have helped me to define what this brand is about.

Before applying for business funding, make sure that your business strategy is foolproof.  Some funders will try to adapt your strategy to suit their own needs. When this happens, remember to stand true to your vision and stick it through.

Get help. Find someone who believes in your vision enough to help you grow it. Spend some time around other entrepreneurs in your field - there's a lot to learn from them. Scaling your business even in the slightest brings new responsibilities that can be very formative.

First of all, I hate structure. I hate thinking in that way, but I've grown to understand that for anything to be proper, it needs some element of structure. Let me tap into what I've just done with Glenfiddich. With them, there was a brief that came in. It was about the concept of two worlds coming together - this beautiful brand with a strong heritage and from a different world, and then you have Imprint, this African brand which is very much about African storytelling, which is very much about print identity, graphics and visuals. 

Your first team will most likely be made up of family and friends who are willing to help. Getting a team together to delegate tasks to will only benefit your business. It's tough to entrust any part of your business to others, but necessary if you want to grow.

Authenticity is important for the success of your brand - it attracts people to you. It's what makes you stand out from a crowd that's doing similar things to you. It's also what will keep you going in the dark days, the fact that only you can do it how you do it.

Selling online makes the most sense in a pandemic environment. It's more affordable, convenient and accessible for both seller and buyer. It's key to build your customers' trust in your service.

Be authentic and passionate about what you're doing. You can't do everything - get a team and trust them with your vision. Growth is uncomfortable but very necessary - don't shy away from it.