The brand called YIYO LE! Is created with the inspiration of identifying the Xhosa culture, a group of people with deep traditions. This is the first brand representation of their traditional cultural symbols and its logo is represented with a grass hut (ibhoma) by a river. Xhosa people (amaxhosa) value the symbolic act of passing from one stage to the next. Many of these traditional ceremonies require the use of the ibhoma for seclusion and the river for purification and passing to the next stage of life.

Background

1500 AD. In the beginning there was a chief called Xosa. Not much is known about him except that his subjects were fanatically loyal to him.
2017 AD. 500 years later the virtue of loyalty is still expressed to the head of the family – the head of the clan and to the chief. Yiyo le! appeals to all Xhosa people to be loyal to our brand. The purpose is to promote Xhosa culture and to employ and empower the Xhosa people.

YIYOLE LE! was co-founded by Yonela Mteyisi and Michael John Vincent Clarke. This brand was created with the aim of employing and empowering xhosa women by giving them equity in the brand through the legal entity owning the brand.

Our team has interviewed Michael John Vincent Clarke about some personal questions, African fashion industry, and Fashionomics Africa initiative. Hope you find it interesting. Don't miss his answers below:

Thank you so much for receiving us, would you mind telling us a bit about your background and why did you decide to be involved in the fashion industry?

My experience and qualifications are in marketing and finance. Living in cape town I have researched and witnessed the ongoing decline of the culture of the Xhosa people. I thought that by creating a Xhosa cultural heritage fashion brand - using cultural symbols, language and traditional Xhosa textiles and garments that we could revive interest in Xhosa culture - amongst Xhosa people and international tourists and ultimately to export overseas. We will use the brand to specifically employ Xhosa women.

In your opinion, what is your achievement until today that you are most proud of and why?

An achievement I am proud of is becoming registered as an international portfolio manager by the south African financial services board. In order to get this license - an individual must meet the highest level of integrity and ethical behavior - but also have expert knowledge of international stock markets and global economics. impeccable accounting skills are a prerequisite.

As a person running a business, what are some skills or attributes that you have found to be indispensable?

As well as “hard” skills a manager must have “soft” or people skills. Our brand and company subscribe to the Xhosa principle of “ubuntu” which means humanness. the ability to create a strategic vision is critical as: “If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable”.

What do you think of the current state of the African Fashion Industry?

The state of the south African fashion industry is negative. cheap imports dealt a crucial blow about ten years ago. in my opinion all attempts by government and its agencies to help fashion startups have failed. This is partially due to the attachment of government to outdated, soviet era funding approaches which struggle with emerging hybrid structures (social enterprises) and also struggle with abstract strategic visionary thinking.

From your point of view, how do you see the “Fashionomics Africa” involvement?

Fashionomics is a godsend. We can actually correspond using the B2B platform - something we could never do with the government. I am hoping that we can gain some sort of respectability by being involved in the Fashionomics initiative. Perhaps being formally associated with this initiative may give us the credibility we need to maybe revisit previously non-helpful government resources.

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Contact information: Michael John Vincent Clarke (vusamaxhosa@yiyole.co.za)