Pulenyane to launch winter collection

It’s not every day that you chance upon a creative individual who is keen about their brand and business. The type that will not shy from telling clients to the face when something they want cannot be done, and instead pave a way for something even more beautiful that might put a huge smile on their face.

The above can be said about one of the country’s creators when it comes to striking and show stopping designs, namely June Pulenyane of June Bug collection. When the talented designer opens her mouth to talk about her passion and livelihood, one can’t help but notice that she proudly wears her heart on her sleeves when it comes to designing and stamping her authority as one of the freshest and future leaders of the country when it comes to fashion designing. She will tell you in no uncertain terms that she will never work with Tafetta and Organza, the two materials were once the hit materials when it comes to designing wedding attires. And she will happily get her hands on Prints, and German material paired with chiffon. While the trend with some designers is that they will take any work that comes their way, and will turn away a client, Pulenyane is very clear when she is faced with many orders.

Her reasoning is simple. She would rather turn a client away instead of being faced with a large order that might compromise her quality, something that she holds dear. However she will make exceptions when it comes to emergency cases, in order to rescue clients from impending disasters. One of her biggest critics and fans is none other than her beloved cousin, Kagiso Madibana who always takes to social media to showcase some of her designs, and always tells her friends via social media that she is proudly wearing a local creation created with love. But who can blame her? Pulenyane’s pieces are the sort that one can walk proudly on the streets with their head held high and not worry that they might become a public spectacle. But how did Pulenyane get here? Speaking in an interview, she tells this publication that her early days as a fashion designer dates back to the Redds Fashion show in 2008, when she was amongst the 10 designers who got to showcase their works.

After that show she continued to sharpen her pencil, learning the craft of designing. “I was still trying to find my ground,” she says. Eventually, she started her very own business, which was registered in 2014, after realising that she could live her dream. And then bought some machines and the rest as they is history. Last year, she produced a male collection that was showcased in Bulawayo. And she will soon launch an exciting line that will see her claiming her rightful place in the fashion industry. The winter collection will see a collection for both men and women. This July, she has been invited to participate in an exhibition dubbed Fashion Torch that will see designers from Kenya, Morocco, as well as Tanzania wowing fashion lovers with their pieces.

In the same period of the Fashion Torch event, she will be part of the recently launched Fashion Without Boarders fashion show (FWB) that is slated to take place in Vaal, South Africa. Pulenyane was picked as one of the local designers who participated in the inaugural event alongside other designers from South Africa, and Zimbabwe. She has also used events such as the Durban July, Channel O Awards as well as the Macufe cultural festival to showcase creations from her brand, and win the hearts of new clients.  “One of the greatest exposures that I got was from the Durban July. People started to notice the brand and wanted to wear my designs,” she says.