Meet the Absa Small Business Friday featured Small Business of the week – APARA Global.
APARA Global is a Johannesburg-based fashion and styling company that produces clothing through recycled trash.
Ayanda More grew up in a family of teachers and understood from a young age the importance of gaining and sharing knowledge. She was inspired by her principal, Mrs Moerane, who saw her as more than just a student. This encouraged her to start a school which would give other teenagers a sense of belonging and second chances. But to start the school, she would need to have capital. Ayanda thought back to her 11-year-old self who enjoyed styling individuals according to their body and fit. This was something she could do well and get paid for it. She knocked on many doors until an opportunity to assist in styling at the African Fashion International Fashion Week 2018 presented itself and she grabbed it with both hands. Since then, her business has continued to grow. She has gone from dressing up and styling people to creating her own designs.
One of the beliefs which drives innovation in APARA Global is to make sustainable fashion accessible to everyone and give consumers a reason to buy it. Most of the clothes created by APARA Global are made from plastic bottle waste generated in South Africa.
The APARA Global Academy launched during the pandemic in April 2020. They offer digital courses aimed at boosting personal growth, development, and leadership for 14 – 25-year-old girls and boys. The school aims to create personal transformation that raises human consciousness for positive social impact and reduces the growing number of mental health casualties. Meanwhile, APARA Global Foundation provides school clothing to rural schools. They raised funds to buy school shirts and school jerseys for rural area schools in Kenya and Nigeria. They have provided jerseys and school shirts to more than 50 school kids in the Eastern Cape at Twecu village near King Williams Town.
Ayanda More was named a PMI Future 50 Leader honouree in 2021. She was a speaker at a PMI Africa event in Nigeria where she spoke about the future of African youth. She is convinced that educating and building up the youth is the future and hopes this opportunity for further leadership development among the youth will have a transformational impact in South Africa and beyond.
APARA Global was crowned the National Community Upliftment Award for 2022 at the South African Small Business Awards.