FASHION designer Lwazi Mema from Despatch who has already perfected the design of his reusable sanitary towels, recently began designing and distributing reusable diapers to teenage mothers who need them for their babies and the elderly for their incontinency needs.
As previously reported by the UD Express, Mema began moving towards his passion which is fashion design in 2019.
After noticing that his female relatives found it difficult to buy sanitary towels each month owing to their financial circumstances, in April last year Mema began sewing and designing reusable sanitary towels.
When he received positive feedback from his female relatives who made use of his reusable sanitary towels, he was confident enough to distribute the reusable sanitary towels to girls and women in need.
Recently, Mema designed a new product with his target market being teenage mothers who could not afford to buy disposable diapers for their children and the elderly who were unable to afford diapers for their incontinency needs.
He said when he found that his grandfather could no longer hold his urine after going to bed at night, he decided to design a reusable adult diaper for him to use.
“My grandfather has been using the reusable adult diaper for some time now. He loves it because it soaks up all the urine and, in the morning, I just throw it in the washing machine,” said Mema.
In addition to the difficulties his grandfather faced, he said many of his female friends who were teenage mothers had shared with him the difficulties they had buying disposable diapers for their children each month which was very expensive.
To further add to their financial difficulties, they also had to buy formula milk to ensure that their children were able to eat.
Adding to his reusable adult diapers design, Mema then decided to design reusable diapers for babies and young children.
“This reusable diaper helps young teenage mothers and the elderly take care of their babies and themselves while also helping them save on monthly diaper purchasing,” said Mema.
“I have seen the need of the reusable diapers in my surrounding areas which made me realize how hard it is for them to get a hold of these diapers and it’s been a huge life saver for them as well.”
He initially began designing the reusable diapers in September last year and continued working on the quality of his design before distributing it to friends and family members in January this year for their feedback.
Once he received positive feedback from those who made use of the reusable diapers, he began distributing his product to teenage mothers and the elderly in need in KwaNobuhle, Khayelitsha, Despatch location, Zwide, Motherwell and New Brighton and has already distributed a total of 568 diapers which if taken good care of can last for three years.
“Everyone who I’ve given the reusable diapers to has give me good feedback,” said Mema.
The reusable diapers consist of flannel, 100% organic cotton and zorb waterproof material.
To share his sewing skills with others, Mema recently began providing free sewing lessons to young children in the hope that they too will embark on similar projects to contribute positively to their community.
- For more information or to join the sewing workshop contact Lwazi Mema on 065 842 2055.
