Nippy unleashes the Changu bag range
Dumisani Ncube | Thursday January 26, 2017 15:07
The Changu collection bags have different ranges such as gym bags, diaper bags, handbags, make up bag and purses to mention just a few. The bags crafted by Nippy in the comfort of her house carry their own signature mark of African prints. They are all crafted from colorful African print material such as Ndebele print, Leteisi material and different patterns.
The bags carry some creative elements on them that make the user more comfortable. A good example is the diaper bag for storing unused diapers; the same bag can also be used as baby pillow while on the road.
“I decided to give the bags their own character of African prints because we hardly see the prints we only get to see them at weddings, plus the bags in the shops are kind of boring because they don’t have colour,” said the musician-cum actor.
As a big fan of bags, the 28-year-old noted that the bags she adores inspire most of her designs and she has tried to slightly improve the various designs. The new bag collection, which came as a surprise was released last week on social media and it has received appreciation from many people who have since started placing orders.
“This came as just a hobby upon buying a sewing machine. A friend of mine who is a designer taught me how to sew last year and then I started experimenting till I mastered how to design bags. I can say I started in October last year. My passion for sewing also comes from my grandmother.”
Despite being new in the design industry, she maintains professionalism as all her bags have the Changu tag. Despite having specific Changu bags she noted that she also does customised bags depending on what her clients would have ordered.
With Changu brand at its infancy, Nippy noted that with her management they are working on finding out distribution channels for the bags. In the meantime she is doing door-to-door deliveries.
Nippy noted that despite specialising on bags at the moment she also works on different fashion garments such as dresses and skirts. She however said this is more of her side job that she does after hours.
For many this came as a surprise because Nippy has always been known to being a musician and an actress who recently starred on theatre play Shuttered Dreams as the main character. “I love challenges, I love creating and learning new stuff. I don’t like my mind idling,” Nippy said.
Adding a new role in her life means she is now putting in extra hours. Apart from her day job, she is a mother, wife, musician and actor. “I work extra hours and sleep late at night”.
Apart from the designing role she noted that she is currently in the studio working on new musical material and she might tour with her theatre production ensemble, Mama Africa.