REDEFINING THE RULES: Fashion designer Sandhya Lalloo dances and lectures to keep afloat Picture: KATHERINE MUICK-MERE

'I think it is important to pursue knowledge at all times. Not just the theory of your industry, but also the important lessons that help you cope when times are tough'

In times of recession people are more inclined to fill the larder than splurge on new clothes. This is not to imply that society will suddenly embrace nakedness, but fashion design is one of the areas feeling the pinch of the global economic meltdown.

For Sandhya Lalloo, 29, who is one of South Africa's up and coming designers, trying to create fashion while remaining financially solvent meant diversifying.

Sandhya is the owner of her own clothing label, Sin; she lecturers in fashion design at the University of Johannesburg - and dances and gives dance instruction at the Jhankaar school of Dance in Lenasia.

"I love designing, I have a passion for it, but the harsh reality is one cannot live on passion forever. Bills have to be paid and other responsibilities taken care of," she says.

Sandhya, who won the Vukani award for best young designer in 2003, has always been determined to showcase her skills, and supplied a number of leading shops in South Africa with her designs.

"I think it is important to pursue knowledge at all times. Not just the theory of your industry, but also the important lessons that help you cope when times are tough and that make the difference in being successful."

And, she says frankly, many a lesson is not learnt in a classroom, but rather in the corridors of life.

"When I started Sin I had all these ambitious plans and dreams of being this amazing designer whose work would be on the catwalks of the world."

Cash to start

The reality was quite different. Thanks to the Vukani award she had some cash in her pocket - unlike many of her peers - that allowed her to buy some industrial equipment.

"I realised that even though I had the knowledge and was designing, I needed to hire a seamstress to make the clothes, which meant that suddenly I had a salary to pay.

"Add to that, finding markets and retailers willing to buy the clothes, while also having to market and brand the company, all seems overwhelming, especially in these tough times where there is a lack of risk-taking and support for local fashion."

There were just not enough hours in the day, and Sandhya, like many other designers, found herself wondering if it was all worthwhile. Ralph Lauren once famously said he did not design clothes, but rather dreams.

"But how does one sell those dreams," Sandhya asked. "Little boutiques were willing to buy my clothes, but they were not going to pay large sums of money for them. The big retail stores should be more interested in supporting local designers so that consumers easily gain access to local design that in turn will help build the economy."

This is a reality for many small-business owners, says Allon Raiz, CEO of Raizcorp, which helps businesses to grow.

"It is easy to lose your dream when you are not making money and it all feels too much. The most important aspects are to remain committed to your business, your dreams and your goals."

Allon says entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes: what makes one more successful than another is, in his opinion, curiosity. "The important thing is not to stop questioning ... that questioning is what keeps moving you forward."

Two questions that any entrepreneur needs to ask all the time are: "How far can this idea go?" and "Who am I?"

Says Allon: "Somewhere intertwined in the curiosity of finding out how far your business idea will take you is the other curiosity: of who you, the entrepreneur, really are.

"And the tumultuous ride of being an entrepreneur will all too often bring you face-to-face with your perceived boundaries and limits."

Do not succumb - move forward

Determined to make it, Sandhya has found a solution to her problem of staying afloat: she diversified and found other forms of income while still being able to design.

"The lecturing allows me to stay in touch with young designers, while the dancing is very much a part of me. I grew up with a lot of colour and music and I find that the dance is one way of inspiring my designs," she says.

Allon says it is important, when trying to stay solvent, to redefine the rules.

"Look at your resources and your abilities and how you can use them to deliver a different product, a different service.

"It is critical to be able to create wealth with what you have, but the trick is to find a different angle on the usual."

Another important aspect of survival is to remember to not be a victim. "Psychologically, it is about not giving up and knowing that you are going to make it. Motivation is very important and one has to be disciplined about it.

"Successful sportsman and business people build motivation into their routine, it does not just come naturally. Make a conscious decision to be motivated and surround yourself with positive people."

And always think big. "Bigger and better is what it is about. In tough economic times it cannot be business as usual," says Allon. "It is as much about risk and reward. One of the most powerful tools, particularly in our economic environment, to increase survival as an SME is to grow."

And therein lies the truth for Sandhya. "I believe we need to take our destiny into our own hands, to educate the local market about design and to bring the money into our industry. That way we will create a future where we don't have to supplement our incomes or, even worse, leave design ... for a steady job with a steady income in a non-creative environment."