His journey began not with fashion, but with traditional mat weaving.<\/p>\n
Raised by his grandmother in Umlazi, Simelane learnt the skill of sewing traditional mats used at cultural ceremonies and by members of the Shembe church.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is the one who taught me how to sew mats. Those skills became the foundation of everything I do today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Growing up in a financially struggling household, Simelane said he had always been fascinated by fashion but lacked the resources to express himself creatively.<\/p>\n
Woven mats made of chip packets<\/p>\n
Instead of allowing unemployment to define his future, he sought to combine his love of design with his concern for the environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew plastic was one of the biggest environmental problems. Globally, only a small percentage of plastic is recycled, while millions of tonnes end up polluting our communities every year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked myself: how can I turn waste into something valuable?\u201d<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7c78624d-7f53-4336-bc78-01d1713c2680.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Raised by his grandmother in Umlazi, Minenhle Simelane has turned a traditional weaving skill into a thriving recycling business that transforms plastic waste into striking fashion. <\/p>\n
Supplied\/Minenhle Simelane<\/p>\n
His first creations were colourful woven mats made from discarded plastic chip packets.<\/p>\n
When he shared pictures of them on Facebook, he had no expectation that they would attract attention.<\/p>\n
Within hours, the post had been shared more than 2 000 times.<\/p>\n
He said:<\/p>\n
The response was unbelievable. People started asking about my work, placing orders and inviting me for television interviews. That was when I realised people were ready to support something different.<\/p>\n
As his confidence grew, so did his ambition.<\/p>\n
One mat requires 500 and 800 discarded chip packets<\/p>\n
In 2015, Simelane decided to take his recycling concept even further by incorporating plastic into fashion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to be different from every other fashion brand. There are many clothing brands, but I wanted people to see something they had never seen before.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I mixed fashion with plastic. People were amazed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today his creations include jackets, dresses, hats, bags and other statement pieces made almost entirely from discarded plastic packaging.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8e866c4b-b2c3-45e9-ab81-fa7c1e2e7d49.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Raised by his grandmother in Umlazi, Minenhle Simelane has turned a traditional weaving skill into a thriving recycling business that transforms plastic waste into striking fashion.<\/p>\n
Supplied\/Minenhle Simelane<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/459e4a25-7141-43b4-bea1-d5c17c18efbe.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Raised by his grandmother in Umlazi, Minenhle Simelane has turned a traditional weaving skill into a thriving recycling business that transforms plastic waste into striking fashion.<\/p>\n
Supplied\/Minenhle Simelane<\/p>\n
Beyond making bold fashion statements, each design represents hundreds of pieces of waste removed from the environment.<\/p>\n
Creating one woven plastic mat alone requires between 500 and 800 discarded chip packets.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf people buy my fashion, they are not only supporting me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are also contributing to saving the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n
A river of waste<\/p>\n
His environmental passion is deeply personal. As a child, Simelane spent countless hours swimming and fishing in the Umlazi River. Today, he says, the river has changed dramatically.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was growing up, we used to swim there, and people caught fish to feed their families and sell at local markets.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow the river is filled with waste. Children cannot swim there anymore, and the fish are disappearing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat inspired me to do something about plastic pollution.\u201d<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/48f88006-7986-48ce-b82b-887c15ee37ad.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Raised by his grandmother in Umlazi, Minenhle Simelane has turned a traditional weaving skill into a thriving recycling business that transforms plastic waste into striking fashion.<\/p>\n
Supplied\/Minenhle Simelane<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/62875ebb-2ad7-455a-8bea-1ae2fb407daa.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Raised by his grandmother in Umlazi, Minenhle Simelane has turned a traditional weaving skill into a thriving recycling business that transforms plastic waste into striking fashion.<\/p>\n
Supplied\/Minenhle Simelane<\/p>\n
As demand for his products increased, Simelane realised he could no longer meet orders on his own.<\/p>\n
In 2023, he registered his business, Umlazi Art and Recycling, allowing him to access opportunities previously unavailable to him as an informal entrepreneur.<\/p>\n
He also returned to his family\u2019s village near Eshowe, where he recruited elderly women who already possessed traditional weaving skills.<\/p>\n
After teaching them how to adapt those techniques to use recycled plastic, he brought them into his growing production team.<\/p>\n
Ten people employed<\/p>\n
Today the business employs ten people, including five young people in Durban who assist during periods of high demand.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the grandmothers were working on farms, which is physically demanding work.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow they can earn an income using the skills they already had.\u201d<\/p>\n