Multiple streams of income are essential, especially for creatives.
This is what Philani Khuzwayo, also known as, DJ Twitty has realized and so he has pivoted from gqom music and created a fashion line called Twisted to compliment his music.
“I've always been a person that likes looking good, and I've always created sweaters for myself, sometimes T-shirts, and every time I wear them, people ask where I got them from,” the Durbanite says, retracing how his brand came to be.
He would respond and explain how he made the garments he was wearing, and people would then ask him to make a few pieces for them.
“Then I ended up getting calls every time I wore something. People would be interested in really wanting me to make it for them.”
These friends and associates would eventually just offer money for his services and this when Twitty realised he could fashion this into a lucrative side hustle.
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“Orders ended up being so much and then the lockdown came in. During the lockdown, I was chilling at home, not doing anything, no events. I think that negative cloud made me turn the situation into positivity. I think my mind was clear for me to reboot, restart and channel my energy towards different revenue [streams]. That's how the brand came about.”
He claims to be a bubbly person and he creates his streetwear clothing in a manner that speaks for itself.
“Every item is so special and well designed and every item speaks for itself., like, you could stop a person at the airport and ask them, ‘Yo, what are you wearing?’ They'd be like, ‘this is Twisted’. I make sure that the items look beautiful.”
He has an eccentric approach to DJing which translates to a few of his garments. He comes across as a DJ who is focused on taste making rather than following trends which aid his fashion designs.
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“I think I'm a very independent thinker when it comes to music. For instance, what makes me different? I don't play songs which are popular at the time, I just play anything that I feel is right at the time. So sometimes there could be a famous song and maybe in my veins I don't like the song, so I won't play the song, but I'll make sure that I find a song that I like which is like it.”
He says the garments reflect who he is as well as his style of DJing.
“I'm influenced by colours and by, obviously, as a person who's very African based and is influenced by the Zulu culture and the Zulu tribe, I try to mix and blend that with the Western looks. I just create beautiful structures, which is the culture of Twisted.”
Twitty thinks his clothing is so well made that it might even inspire you to start your own clothing brand. But making this move is not an easy exploit and there are a few things that Twitty has had to contend with.
“I'm a very ambitious young man. I'm still doing everything on my own. I don't have a partner or a backup budget to help me. I do maybe have a struggle with marketing and at the present moment, I'm using my social media platforms and that's the only way I've been able to be sell the products so far.
“So being on the forefront of a marketing strategy and having a proper plan with the budget for marketing the brand properly."
He is particular about the people who wear his brand and pays particular attention to this.
“I like selling the brand to very stylish people, people who have a following, who I know will post the brand and that also creates a buzz about the brand. I don't like my brand being worn by people who are just not into fashion. I just like people who wear my brand to be people that really love fashion,” he boldly states.
“That on its own becomes a marketing strategy because they always look good and when they post.”
He currently has eight people under his employment, and they help him create the pieces he dreams up as the head designer.
“I’m the head designer because obviously I'm the influence of the brand, the style, the looks. I just come in and explain to the guys what I need to be done and what I did for myself.”
He also ensured to fortify his efforts in the realm of fashion by studying the creative discipline, “I did a short course for designing, which was what I wanted for me as I was venturing into this business. To have the foundation so that when I have people who are under me, we can speak the same language."
Twitty says his long run in the music and media industry has afforded him the connection he has relied on to get his brand off the ground.
“I've been in the game for like 15 years, been in the game for a minute, so I know almost everybody. I'm at a stage where it's very easy. Everyone is like a phone call away from me,” he boasts.
