By Helen 2.46

My love for knitting, crocheting and sewing came from a young age. I would always make clothing for my baby dolls. Back then there was no such thing as Barbie. Well, not in South Africa and certainly not in Knysna. At school, sewing classes were the highlight of my week. I love making clothes with my bare hands, sewing, knitting and crocheting a small piece of my heart into everything I make.

After school, I furthered my love for clothing design at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University where I studied clothing design for three years. After I finished my higher studies, I discovered the lack of employment offers in the industry I had studied for three years long. Due to the turbulent in South Africa’s fashion industry, I was forced to drift in other industries in search of employment. This drift continued for a few years until very recently.

However, during this drift of mine, a challenge arose. After giving birth to my daughter, I noticed the lack of unique children’s clothing. Once again, living in a small town there was limited options. There was no such thing as Baby R Us (not even now) and, until recently, no such thing as Woolworths. So I decided to begin creating clothing myself.

About a year ago I decided to pursue my dreams of working in the fashion industry full-time. At first, my new career struggled. I was a no name who had no employment experience, only personal experience and qualifications. I began to alternate and make clothing at the wish of others. My dream of meaning something in the fashion industry began to fade away as I realised there was still no glits and glammer in the industry I love so dearly.

It was only recently when a friend asked me to design a baptism outfit for her son when my career took a turn for the better. Whilst looking for ideas online and on social media I began to develop ideas of my own. That was when I decided to specialize in a certain area. At first I mostly made clothing for girls; however I recently discovered the market for handmade boys clothing. I still dabble in designing baby girl wear; however I find designing boy’s clothing more challenging. The turn my life took four months ago is one I will always be grateful for.

Helen Barnes
Founder of By Helen