Cushioned by Support
“I do all the creative work in my head first, in my mind. All of this I do long before I cut the material, sometimes even before I have received the order, it is made in my mind.”
A young Namibian woman with a dream and a vision is demonstrating how to make your passion into your business. “I simply love cushions; I love textiles and everything about the creative process.” Ndapanda Toivo studied textiles at UNAM where her love of cushions came about. It was after a friend asked her to make some cushions, that Ndapanda decided to pursue cushions as a career. “I remembered my lecturer at UNAM, Mrs Cathy Mc Roberts who had taught me about textiles and textures and I came to the idea of using felt for the letters on my cushions.” After this Ndapanda says “I bought a sewing machine and started working on ideas that could generate me an income.”
Ndapanda says that when making cushions for her clients she likes to spend time with her client to find out more about them as “My cushions say something about you. I use your words, so it’s something personal or a memory, something that is important to you. Cushions are a big part of your home’s interior as it makes the room pop especially if you use the right colour.”
“Because my cushions are unique and not something you will find in a shop, after I made the first order for my friend, people started coming to me with their orders.”
When asked about her creative process, Ndapanda says that before a project starts “I spend a lot of time sitting and imagining what I want the final product to be. If I am making cushions, I imagine the finished cushion in the home of the person I am making for. If I am making curtains I imagine the colour and how it will drape. I do all the creative work in my head first, in my mind. All of this I do long before I cut the material, sometimes even before I have received the order, it is made in my mind.”
The name of her company is Tivon, which means somebody who loves nature. When asked where to from here, Ndapanda says that she wants to start doing more curtain work, that compliments her already in demand cushion range. However she says she always wants to be able to give her clients the personal touch and keep them happy. This is why, she explains, “I always sit with my clients before the job begins to talk to them about colours, themes and materials. I want to capture them so that they will be happy with what I produce. That what I produce will represent them.”
When asked who inspires her, Ndapanda says “My Mom inspires me. She is my world. I wouldn’t be where I am if not for her. I have never been connected to my Father but my Mom has been there for me through thick and thin. Even if I messed up she was there for me.” Ndapanda laughs and says, “She phones to ask me every day how my cushions are coming along and if I have clients. She supports my dream.”
Get in touch with Ndapanda through her Facebook page by clicking here : Tivon