A fashion Guru on your stoep

Sophisticated and glamourous are just a few of the words you will use when you walk into Lorna Banda’s home office in Ruimsig.

Banda is the brains and beauty behind the fashion name House of Jade and while it has only been two years since she opened shop, she has gained impressive and envious success in an ever growing fashion industry.

“I was working in Public relations and sales consulting and decided that I wanted to follow this passion of dressing people and making clothes. I went to UberGlam school of fashion and six months to a year after that, I dressed Sindi Nene, who was an Idols contestant at the time.” Said the designer.

Banda has dressed many a local celebrities since then including actress Connie Ferguson, presenters Nonhle Thema and Mpho Maboi. She adds “With celebrities, they always ask who you have dressed so that they get an idea of your work. Once you have them as clients, however, they want to wear something that is unique and is their own identity.”

House of Jade intimately works with each of their clients to create a look that fits the individual perfectly. Lorna works with a number of schools including Maragon during the matric farewell season and admits that when it gets very busy, she outsources tailors.

“When you work with the individual and create the dress that is perfect for them, they are bound to spread the word and that has been fantastic regarding the consistent clientele around those red carpet events and that is what I cater for.” She said.

Her love for tailored couture is evident from the moment you enter her office, with sheer fabrics and details on display, but unfortunately every item has its owner. Lorna beamed “I love to dress people and make them look and feel good. For my clients, it is the ability to turn a dream into reality and create a masterpiece. I have always wanted to work on my own and I got that from my dad, who was an entrepreneur.”

Her red carpet creations have been features on Vuzu, the annual Durban July and the Channel O awards. She currently sourced material from Nigeria and Zambia and says African print is a big trend at the moment. “African print skirts are everywhere right now. It is important that you mix them with modern fabrics though, just to avoid that full on African queen kind of look. Printed pants and jumpsuits are very current. It is about style and not trends. Trends come and go but style is for keeps.” Banda added.

Lorna concludes by adding that she would love to dress veteran musician Yvonne Chaka Chaka. “I know she loves African prints but I would just love to see her in fabrics that are a bit more modern to show versatility. She is a beautiful woman and it would be a dream to dress her.” Lorna adds with a smile.