Former Generations actress Sophie Ndaba is using her experience and passion to uplift young fashion talent. She will be hosting The Business of Fashion workshop at this year’s Basha Uhuru Freedom Festival, taking place at Constitution Hill from 25 to 28 June. The workshop itself will be held on Friday, 27 June.

Sophie, now 51, told Daily Sun that she came up with the idea after noticing how many young people have great fashion talent but don’t have access to real opportunities.

“Last year, I was working on the wellness segment at Basha Uhuru. They had asked me to come up with a concept for wellness because of my wellness journey,” she said. “They told me they wanted to create something for fashion, and I offered to do it.”

She said her dream has always been to create a space to support young designers, especially those with no resources.

“I’ve always wanted to create a hub to empower young designers. Many are talented but don’t have access. That’s how I came up with The Business of Fashion. We are teaching them how to turn themselves into a business so they can be self-sustaining,” she explained.

Sophie said the goal isn’t just to help people make clothes, but to teach them how to build strong fashion brands that can last for generations.

“For today, there can be money, but what about the legacy? We want our kids to say, ‘Mama started this fashion brand and now I’m taking it over long after she’s gone.’ And more than that, we’re creating employment. There are so many things that come out of it,” she said.

For the workshop, Sophie has organised two panels:

“I’ve created a panel for fashion designers who have started from nothing to something, because you can’t advise people if you don’t have the experience. I also created an advisory panel with people from social media, marketing, PR, and brand-building,” she said.

She wants young creatives to understand how to use tools like social media properly.

“Many think you just post on social media, but do you know what time to post? Why are you posting? Are you running a business account? Do you understand TikTok’s value or is it only a trend? These are the things young people need to ask,” said Sophie.

As someone who has built multiple businesses, Sophie wants to help others avoid the mistakes she made when she started out.

“I started making money at a young age. Firstly, I was a chef. Then, I became a wedding planner without even realising I was creating a brand. I didn’t know how to structure the business to make it last,” she shared.

“When I became sick and my business crumbled, I realised I was so busy making money and didn’t make it self-sustaining. That’s why I want to share my lessons. Once you build a solid brand, nobody can touch it,” she added.