Roka Roko is a 100% black female owned fashion design business based in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga. We have been operating since 2014 February. The business started at my former home in Kempton Park, then to a studio in Midrand, to another studio in Modderfontein and due to Covid we have moved the company back home to Bushbuckridge. We mainly create ladies wear on a custom basis, meaning we make clothes as per order as per client. Our average number of orders per year is 300, with a single outfit averaging at R1 500. We have managed to build a trustworthy brand for our clients over the 9 years, going strength to strength. Our turnover varies from R250 000 to R350 000 depending on factors that affect the fashion/textiles industry. Our outfits are made of any material the client prefers, from satin to cotton, from denim to jersey, from silk to African print, you name it. We have completed dresses, shirts, pants, jackets, wedding dresses, party outfits, gifting items, decorative items, etc. Our motto is ‘made for you’, which means we listen to what the client needs and deliver accordingly at an agreed price. Our knowledge of fabrics and constant research of the fashion industry keeps us in line with what clients need. Currently, we operate from a village in Bushbuckridge called Mphenyatsatsi. The idea of
running a custom based business in a small village sounds impossible, but we have managed to do it for a year. There is a shift in our client base, some of the Johannesburg clients have remained with us and we have new clients in Bushbuckridge. There have been some losses and some gains to our surprise. This has created product shifts, process shifts, price shifts and supplier shifts. One major shift is that the business is ready for a retail store;
as seen from supplying a boutique in Bushbuckridge from July 2023 to December 2023.
Ms Brigette Mashile is the leader at Roka Roko with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University of the Witwatersrand (2007); National Diploma in Fashion from Studio 05 School of Fashion (2014); an Entrepreneurship certificate via the BankSETA and a Facilitating certificate from the ETDP SETA; participation in Awethu Incubation Programme, Shanduka and Lioness of Africa; 6,5 years of fashion buying experience and 9 years managing Roka Roko. All these are the institutions that have contributed to my experience with fashion and business.
Vision:
To create jobs and build a trustworthy fashion brand.
Mission:
To share skills with the community to build a great team ready for employment to build a great fashion brand.
Conclusion:
Roka Roko is a company in the business of creating shifts in the community it exists. We are invested in upskilling our people, while creating amazing products for all our target community; and building a brand to represent our country well.