She started with buttons from old coats. Now Noluxolo Matikinca is stitching culture into fashion.
For Noluxolo Matikinca, beadwork is a language of identity, belonging and memory. Through her brand, she is finding ways to keep isiXhosa culture visible while giving traditional fashion room to evolve.
Before the garments, the designs and the growing business, there were buttons taken from old coats.
Noluxolo Matikinca remembers turning them into earrings and wearing them as statement pieces. It was a small beginning, the kind that could easily have remained a personal experiment. But when people started asking where she had bought her earrings, she began to see the possibility of creating something others might want to own.
That curiosity became the beginning of a business. Today, Noluxolo, popularly known as Jwarhakazi through her brand, creates traditional attire and beaded accessories that bring isiXhosa heritage into contemporary fashion.
Born and raised in Gqeberha, she is a mother, a sister and a creative entrepreneur whose work includes doeks, skirts, dresses, tops and other beaded pieces. Yet, when we look beyond the finished products, her journey raises a question familiar to many women building something of their own: what happens when people can see your talent before you have fully learned to believe in it yourself?
For Noluxolo, that was one of the first hurdles.
When talent meets self-doubt
Her relationship with beadwork began at home, while helping her late aunt, a traditional healer. Noluxolo would assist with the beadwork and help take care of orders. Without necessarily knowing where that experience would lead, she was developing a connection to the craft that would later shape her business.
She describes herself as hardworking, strong and focused. She also credits her family for giving her an environment where she could explore her creativity without feeling held back.
“Culture gave me a skill to build on. My family gave me the reason to start and keep going,” she explains.
But having a skill and believing that it can become a source of income are two different things.
As interest in her designs grew, so did the questions in her mind. Would people buy her work? Could she turn the attention into a sustainable business? Was she ready to put herself out there?
“Imposter syndrome would get a hold on me because I was not confident enough to believe that this could work,” she says.
There were times she considered giving up, particularly when sales were slow. What brought her back was looking at the work she had already produced and recognising the possibility in it.
Whenever she looked at her creations, she could see how the craft might become something bigger than her current circumstances.
That ability to imagine a future beyond the present became important. Noluxolo did not wait for every doubt to disappear before continuing. She kept working, learning and testing what her creativity could become.
A garment can speak without saying a word
Ask Noluxolo why cultural fashion matters to her, and the answer goes beyond aesthetics.
“Cultural fashion is very important to me because it isn’t just about culture, it is a language,” she says. “Culture uses this specific language to speak about itself without actually uttering a word.”
For her, that language carries identity, belonging, history and memory. The clothes people wear can communicate where they come from, what they value and the traditions they carry with them.
This is also why she does not believe traditional fashion should be confined to cultural ceremonies or special occasions. She wants people to wear their heritage with pride while allowing it to find a place in modern life.
“We can still rock our beautifully beaded garments with modern-day fashion trends to keep the statement going and growing,” she says.
It is an approach that recognises culture as something living. Traditions can be honoured while designs develop, new combinations emerge and younger generations find their own ways of expressing who they are.
Noluxolo believes she is seeing that interest among young people, particularly in traditional outfits that incorporate contemporary trends. An everyday design can be transformed into a striking statement piece, inspiring someone else to experiment with their own ideas.
For her, beadwork represents “recognition, respect and confidence.” Those meanings give the work a significance that extends beyond colour, texture and appearance.
Her designs are also shaped by spiritual and cultural beliefs. She sees meaning in colours and designs, describing them as carriers of memories, heritage and a sense of spiritual alignment.
That is why the making process deserves attention, too.
The hours behind the beauty
Handmade fashion asks for patience that is not always visible to the customer. There are measurements to take, materials to prepare, details to correct and designs that require hours of concentration. Even unpicking buttons can become a tedious part of the process.
Noluxolo says people do not always realise how much time and money go into producing handmade beaded fashion. Keeping the work creative while managing the cost of materials and the demands of orders can be difficult.
She particularly enjoys designing and making doeks, and she is proud of the doeks and blankets she has produced.
Her skills have also developed through training with a recognised clothing brand programme, which she describes as foundational to her journey. The experience sharpened her craft and gave her practical knowledge of cutting, sewing, taking measurements and working with buttons.
It also helped her understand more about running and managing a business.
“Training is what keeps you on top of your game,” she says.
For Noluxolo, improving her skills is not separate from growing the brand. It is part of being able to serve customers better, expand her clientele and strengthen the business.
The business behind the creativity
There is a romantic idea that creative entrepreneurs spend their days making beautiful things. Noluxolo's experience offers a more complete picture.
She says that around 80% of her time can go into the demands of the business: designing, managing orders, correcting production errors, following up on late orders or placements, responding to messages and dealing with customer concerns.
“It is actually consuming, physically and mentally sometimes,” she admits.
That reality has taught her to separate the creative side from the analytical work of running a business.
“You cannot be creative and analytical at the same time. It kills both,” she says.
It is a practical lesson from someone who has had to turn her ideas into deliverables, meet customer expectations and make decisions beyond the design table.
One of her proudest milestones is now managing her workspace and staff. Having an office close to home gave her room to expand, bring in helping hands and approach her work with greater focus and consistency.
“It meant that anything is possible,” she says, reflecting on what the milestone represents.
Her definition of success has also changed. Right now, she describes it as quieter, less glamorous and more stable. She is focused on her goals and less distracted by the need to appear successful to others.
That perspective matters in a world where business growth is often measured by what can be photographed or announced. For Noluxolo, some of the most important progress happens in the daily work of building something that can last.
The people who helped her keep going
Social media has helped more people discover her creations, increased engagement and brought new clients into her business. But Noluxolo is clear that her community's support began long before a larger audience could see her work online.
“Community has been my first and most supportive group of people in this journey,” she says.
From the early earrings to her first client, support from home helped build her confidence. Her family and close circle have remained important because, as she puts it, the journey becomes less heavy when the people you love support what you are trying to do.
She started with buttons from old coats. Now Noluxolo Matikinca is stitching culture into fashion.
She also draws strength from prayer and hard work. During difficult seasons, she focuses on the end goal and asks for the passion and consistency to keep showing up.
Looking ahead, Noluxolo wants to acquire more machines, renovate her workspace and develop new designs and models. She hopes to collaborate with established designers and work on school projects where she can teach children about beadwork.
That ambition speaks to a legacy she wants to leave: not only creating garments, but passing on the knowledge behind them so that the craft can continue through others.
In five years, she hopes to see the brand in a new location, with multiple shops and its work appearing on major billboards.
For now, the work continues one design, one order and one lesson at a time.
Her beginning is not her limit
When we asked her what she would tell young women who are afraid to start their own businesses, Noluxolo's response is direct.
“START!”
She encourages them to remain focused, be patient, keep learning and continue showing up. Her own journey has included uncertainty, slow sales and moments when she questioned whether the business could work. Those experiences did not disqualify her from becoming the entrepreneur she is today. They became part of the process.
And what might her younger self say if she could see her now?
Noluxolo believes she would be proud, especially when looking at how far she has grown as both a person and a business owner.
There is a powerful thread connecting the young woman making earrings from old coat buttons to the entrepreneur managing a workspace and imagining multiple shops. The craft has developed, the ambitions have expanded, and the work has taken on a life of its own.
But the meaning behind it remains.
Noluxolo Matikinca is creating fashion that carries culture forward, making room for modern expression without abandoning the stories woven into each piece. Her journey reminds us that a small beginning can hold the seeds of a much bigger vision, and that the traditions we inherit can also become something we build with our own hands.
As she puts it, “Your background does not determine you. You can be anything you want if you believe in yourself.”
For business, contact: 0684449112
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