QELELE

From Negativity

We spoke to Alatha Maneli who is the man behind the brand Qelele. The young man was born and still resides in Zwelitsha, a small location near King William's Town. Alatha matriculated in Breidbach Senior Secondary, went to Lovedale where did he his diploma in Public Management. He had a great up bringing with siblings always around, growing up in a tight knit family environment and he was fortunate enough to have a mother who encouraged him to push beyond his wildest dreams. One of the greatest values which has been passed down to each generation of his family was to fear and respect God, and that through prayer anything and everything is possible.

Please share when did you commence with this clothing brand and what inspired you to go for it? “I started my clothing wear early this year, it was an idea I’d been pondering up on since last year and I have to say procrastination weigh heavy on us sometimes, but I have to say big up to my younger cousin, for being the craziest motivation I got where I had least expected it. My cousin encouraged me to go forward with it and here we are. This is a start of something new, an adventure for me and since I love challenges I believe and will make sure we grow bigger”.

We sell hoodies, sweaters, tracksuits, tshirts, bucket hats, beanies. Prices ranges from R150 to R600

Please share the meaning of the word QELELE, and why you chose to use that name for your brand? “Qelele is a Xhosa word which means far, and with this brand what I am trying to say is seclude yourself from negativity - stand far from it. Anything which you view as not aligning with who you are “Ithi qelele kulonto”. Regrettably we've been seeing quiet a lot of incidents where violence has been witnessed in different parts all over the country. So Qelele is a plea to disassociate ourselves with such unscrupulous acts. Also if you look at the our logo the person standing under the post Qelele from the rest doing his own thing.

Challenges you faced when commencing with QELELE and how did you react to those?“One that I would say stands out the most is me believing in myself, If I could take on something of such magnitude and ofcourse some “pap talks” and encouragement was needed to move forward, and I have a great support structure through my family. That led me into taking a leap into faith. Also what made me want to move forward most was knowing what I wanted and achieving is greater than the risk of losing”.

How has the clothing brand been received thus far and what is motivating you to keep pushing QELELE? "I have to say the audience it has received thus far since it's inception is whooping, but through hardwork and exposure we could reach more people and get them to be Qelele as well. Determination and focus and my drive to be who I want to be and the belief that nothing is impossible is what keeps me going,. And I am strong on God,I believe that with him by my side everything is at arms reach