For many fashion graduates, seeing their designs in stores is a long-term dream.
For Cape Town-based designer Mazhar, it has become reality just over a year after leaving fashion school.
His debut commercial collection, Homegrown Heirlooms, has officially launched in Pick n Pay Clothing stores nationwide through the retailer's Futurewear programme, an initiative that mentors emerging South African designers and helps bring their work to market.
Originally from Durban, Mazhar moved to Cape Town to study fashion, but it was the Mother City's landscapes, alongside memories of family and home, that shaped his first collection.
"The inspiration comes from heirlooms inspired by my family home, the tiles, the flowers that grow in my grandmother's garden, and the fauna and flora that grow in Cape Town," he said. "It's also a very South African collection. My country and my city inspire it a lot, so it's very personal. I put a lot of myself into it."
The collection blends heritage-inspired embroidery, botanical motifs and nostalgic patterns into contemporary, wearable pieces designed to celebrate identity and craftsmanship.
For Mazhar, one of the biggest lessons came not in the design studio, but behind the scenes of commercial fashion.
"I think the greatest part was learning the whole backbone of the industry and stripping away the glamour," he said. "Seeing how clothes go from sketches to real garments that people will wear and hopefully one day pass down is incredible. Fashion school can only teach you so much, but being in the industry and seeing it first-hand is absolutely amazing."
While the journey wasn't without moments of self-doubt, he says learning to trust his instincts made all the difference.
"I second-guessed myself a lot, wondering whether I should change things, but trusting myself and my gut played a big role. Looking back, I wouldn't even call it challenging. It was just a beautiful experience."
Now in its sixth year, Pick n Pay Clothing's Futurewear programme, founded by managing executive Hazel Pillay and renowned designer Gavin Rajah, has become a launchpad for emerging South African fashion talent.
Pillay said the programme was created to help young designers take their ideas beyond the classroom.
"South Africa is home to exceptional creative talent, but many young designers never have the opportunity to understand how their ideas translate into products that reach customers at scale.
"Futurewear exists to bridge that gap by providing mentorship, industry experience and a national retail platform," she said.
For Mazhar, however, this collection is only the beginning.
"This isn't the finish line; it's the beginning. This is the first of many collections, and I can't wait to keep creating pieces that honour our stories and our cultures."
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