Originally from a township in Johannesburg, Mbalenhle Mncube is a young designer with dreams of becoming the next great fashion entrepreneur. She completed her fashion degree in 2019 and after working in retail for a few years, she was shortlisted at the ‘All Fashion Sourcing Young Designer Competition’ (#YDC20 Top10 Finalist) where UMSWENKO, her brand, was born.
African landscapes and natural elements mainly inspired her work as she focuses on creating cross-cultural, contemporary designs for both men’s and women’s fashion that bring new light to African tradition.
Her latest collection was shown off at the SA Men’s Fashion Week, where she exhibited winter designs to honour her late father with deconstructed sentimental elements in each piece.