Friday Fashion Feature - Bespoke PHR

Bespoke PHR is a young brand and trio of sartorial gents, Kwandile Dladla, Nkululeko Makhubu, and Jacob Nakedi who specialise in tailored men’s wear, suits, and reviving tailored suits in the form of art and their past history. Bespoke PHR aims to tell untold stories of their past through the suits they wear. They are artists in what they do and visualise.

Kwandile is responsible for the creative process in Bespoke. He keeps things basic and traditional, while allowing his style and creativity to speak for him. Jacob is said to be the more reserved one who appears less frequently in their photographs, he is the researcher of the group, and he provides the foundation, history and background of their material. Nkuli assists and manages the team and keeps things under control.

So we decided to link up with the gentlemen to find out more on their journeys and ambitions for the business, what inspires them, what challenges they face and where they see themselves in the future. Here they are J

Nkululeko  Makhubu and Kwandile Dladla

R V L: What ignited the spark to start the collaboration, Bespoke PHR or to make significant changes to the business approach – because I know Kwandy was a solo artist when we met?

Kwandile: I think it all started with the love for style, not just any style but we were intrigued by the Italian way of dressing, which brought us together as we shared the same sentiments.

Nkuli: Yah, me and Kwandy met at MBFW (Mercedes Benz Fashion Week); we spoke and shared similar dreams and ideas. Jacob and I grew up together so we are extensions of each other… so we started Bespoke PHR because we didn’t like how South African men dressed and we looked overseas for inspiration and liked how the European men interacted with their clothes. It’s a romantic and poetic relationship we wanted to bring here at home.

Jacob: The same vision. Nkuli told me about Kwandile, I was so surprised that there was actually someone out there who shared the same dreams and appreciated the art of cloth making.

R V L: When did Bespoke PHR begin?

Jacob: Bespoke PHR was conceived when Nkuli and Kwandile met at the Mercedes Benz fashion Week early this year…

Nkuli: …As soon as we met, it wasn’t in stone yet but it had begun.

R V L: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?

Jacob: Passion. Have you ever heard of the quote that says, ‘do what you love and you will never work for the rest of your life?’ Patience, it’s like having a child, you groom them with a steady foundation so they can be the best in the world. Perseverance, believe in your craft.

Kwandy: Passion, perseverance, and motivation.

Nkuli: At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’m going to say it’s hard work, having a vision and not looking for a plan B – it distracts from plan A.

R V L: What have been some of your failures and what have you learned from them?

Nkuli: The word failure is a bit drastic, I would prefer setbacks. We’ve had a couple to date; funding our initiative has been a bit of a pain but it’s getting better, we have a plan now.

Jacob: A lack of the three skills I just listed i.e. passion, patience, and perseverance. They are the core foundation of a successful entrepreneur, and without them you’re going nowhere slowly.

Kwandy: I have to say that I didn’t focus much on the bigger picture but what I’ve learned is I have to be a visionary kind of person, focus more on the bigger picture and persuading my passion more. I have to be more realistic and stop trying to have an application to do everything I want and try spending more time on developing my skills.

R V L: If you had a chance to start your career all over again, what would you do differently?

Kwandy: Ha ha-ha I think this is a bit naïve; I would go and attend sewing lessons at Savile Row in the UK.

 Nkuli: I would have start sooner.

Jacob: Nothing at all, all my experiences groomed me. If I wouldn’t have experienced         these hardships on this journey, maybe I would’ve even had the gratitude of being part of your blog.

R V L: [Hard ChuckleJ] - Describe your typical day.

Nkuli: It depends. What constitutes a typical day? But weekly I work a 9-5 and come back to work (Bespoke PHR) Bespoke PHR will be my 9-5 soon.

R V L: How has being an entrepreneur affected your personal life?

Nkuli: It hasn’t affected anything. I was always selling something.

Kwandy: It really has; by me spending less time with my loved ones because as an entrepreneur you spend most of your time on what you’re building and what you want to achieve.

Jacob: Time is never on my side, especially in a society where a dreamer is often taken as being too ambitious. I don’t have the time to do all the things that the so called ‘normal beings ‘do.

Kwandile Dladla and Jacob Nakedi

R V L: How do you generate ideas?

Jacob: We collect information about a specific task and discuss on how we can implement it in our business.

Nkuli: At the risk of sounding cliché again, I find inspiration through music, life, and public transport. The 

amount of ideas I get through public transport is insane.

Kwandy: Through inspiration around me such as different cultures, nature, politics and everyday life.

R V L: What motivates you?

Kwandy: Hmm, okay. I’m motivated by the SA youth or should I say street culture, also the smart and creative individuals I surround myself with, ha ha.

Nkuli: Change.

Jacob: A person who dreams and believes in success regardless of obstacles and is able to make it.

R V L: What are your ideals?

Jacob: I believe we are traditionalists at heart; our mission is not to only bring back the fundamental techniques but to make it a point that men take pride in wearing dress suits.

Nkuli: A free thinking, stylish world. I hope that’s not too much to ask from the world.

Kwandy: The ability to express my vision to other people. Fuel my creativity and confidence in what I do, what I always emphasise to people is research! Research! - Research in what you do to be the best, even though perfection cannot be easily reached.

R V L: Tell us about your other journeys since the inception of your business – where else have you been featured?

Jacob: Bespoke PHR is still in its fundamental stages. We haven’t engaged in any projects.

Nkuli: The journey has been a great one, being featured on publications like this is still new to me and it was never the plan, so to be featured on sites like Khumbula (a blog owned by our close friends), various other blogs/sites that cover events we get invited to and not to forget StreetEtiquette. Appearing on all these different platforms has been very nice but it’s not why we do this.

Kwandy: I have to say that this has been quite a wonderful experience and journey for me and the Bespoke PHR team. We are learning a lot from one another as ambitious artists. I think with the three of us together we could change the world in what our eyes choose to see. We’ve  featured on a number of blogs and magazines such as OAkstreetstyle from the UK, New African Women magazine (UK), StreetEtiquette (New York), KOlour Mag, LiveMag, and local blogs such as Classoverswagg, TheExpressionist, UFD daily, R V L etc., the list is endless.

Kwandile Dladla

R V L: How far are you willing to go to succeed?

Kwandy: Take our brand internationally.

Jacob: This to us is a dream. You can never have boundaries.

Nkuli: Let’s just say if success was alcohol, I would be a regular fixture at AA meetings.

R V L: Ha ha-ha J - How would you define success?

Kwandy: To me success is doing what you love, being passionate and being happy in what you do. Not really being a modest individual but still thrives to succeed more.

Jacob: Leaving a legacy for the predeceasing generations based on what you loved.

Nkuli: I don’t really know hey, I am thinking, growing being and my thoughts are forever evolving so having a fixed idea of what success is, is not really possible for me. What happens till you reach that point, do you rest?

R V L: Very interesting point there. Your kind of thinking is what a lot of today’s youth needs to adapt to - How would you describe your city’s fashion and sense of style?

Nkuli: Jo’burg is very young and we are still experimenting but I feel like it resembles the 70’s New York scene and one of these kids or a group will pop up and become our Basquiat. It’s only a matter of time.

Jacob: Johannesburg has gone back to the 70’s and 80’s times, we draw inspiration from our mothers and fathers.

R V L: How did the brand name come about?

Nkuli: After months of arguing we decided to write down all these terms that define us as people and a brand. The words Bespoke, Pride, Honour, and Respect stuck and hence we named it Bespoke PHR. Bespoke – the term is derived from the word bespeak, to “speak for something” but it is largely used to describe a clothing item made to a buyers specification (personalise or tailored).

Kwandy: Yeah, it came through our love for tailoring, craftsmanship and our lives in general as they are art to us.

R V L: What is the best way to achieve long-term success?

Jacob: Have a solid groundwork, making sure that whatever you’re building will one day become an empire.

Nkuli: Finding a way of doing things and sticking to it. Savile Row found a method and stuck to it. Stay rigid and true to the original idea.

Kwandy: The best way to achieve long term goal is to have short term goals, know what you want to achieve tomorrow when you wake up or by next month what you want to have done.

R V L: Who has been your greatest inspiration and why?

Nkuli: [Laughs] I recently read one of Mr Nicolla Ricci of Sciamát answers to this question. I would like to answer this question how he answered on the BespokeDudes interview, but to keep things short; I would say the two people who have really inspired me are Mr Santo Barilla and Mr Michael Bastian. Very different personalities but to me they have the same effect.

Jacob: I draw my inspiration from the homeless men on the street of Jozi, the older citizens and the gentlemen of the street of Savile Row. That proves that a good taste in clothes has nothing to do with money.

R V L: What has been your most satisfying moment in the business?

Nkuli: When my phone rang and a weird gentleman named Sam Lambert was on the other end of the call – he was calling me for a photo shoot.

Kwandy: The power of collaboration fuels more creativity in the Bespoke PHR team.

R V L: How can one prevent careless business mistakes?

Jacob: Business is all about taking risks, so bad decisions will always occur but avoiding careless ones is based on all the efforts you made to be where you are.

Nkuli: Like anything else in life, read the label and learn from other people’s mistakes.

Kwandy: Be cognizant of your surroundings because you’ll never know who’s stealing your ideas. Be nice to everyone in the industry you’re in and always collaborate. Think before you act.

R V L: Where do you see your business in 10 years? 20 years?

Jacob: I would honestly love to see Bespoke PHR in a position where we maintain an underrated phase yet honoured.

Nkuli: I see it changing the way ordinary people dress. Clothes have lost their poetry. I would like to see that come back.

R V L: Nicely phrased, Jacob. I like that - Are you on any social networking sites where people can reach you?

Nkuli: Unfortunately, yes. We have a Tumblr account: http://bespokephr.tumblr.com, on Instagram I go by @Nkuli_Makhubu and I just recently joined an online magazine called DeepMag. It’s a music magazine and I’m part of the style section writers.

Kwandy: Facebook: Kwandile Dladla, Twitter: @kwandile9, Instagram: @kwandile_dladla,

Jacob: You can find me anywhere you see the word Bespoke PHR, we’re like three young men figures in one soul.

LOL – Wow, I don’t know about you but I certainly had fun drafting and reading this interview. I am undoubtedly more than inspired and engulfed in the amount of positivity these guys possess. I think one of the best interviews I've complied. I’m sure all of you who are thinking of pursuing a career in whatever business that this should shed some light to your professional dilemmas.

Having said that, we would highly appreciate your comments at the bottom of this page, you can also like and share this link/post with your friends via Facebook and Twitter. Do click the follow button on the top right hand corner and keep following @RVL_boutique J

© Angela Nimah 2013

All words spoken by the interviewees in this article solely belong to them. No one has the right to copy or re-use them unless quoted. All questions were sourced online and tweaked a bit.