A woman of style and elegance

Monique Adams

Born in Windhoek, Ludeke spent most of her childhood on their family farm but went to school in Windhoek. Most of her weekends were spent playing with her best friends, who were lambs, bunnies and anything she could catch and tame.

Her favourite childhood memory is making pumpkin fritters with her grandmother on the farm. Her grandmother was an inspiration, a woman of poise, and that is why Ludeke named her first handbag after her, Maida.

After finishing school, she went to study fashion design at Elizabeth Galloway Academy of Fashion Design in Stellenbosch. From the start she knew she wanted to specialise in everything and anything leather. Graduating cum laude in her class, she was selected as one of three students to pilot the academy’s first fourth-year specialisation course, half of the year being theory and the other half practical.

Ludeke then started interning at Cape Cobra Leathercraft in Cape Town, where she fell in love with handbag design and production.

“I particularly enjoyed the technicality and the manufacturing – seeing a 2D pattern transforming into an exquisite 3D luxury handbag. I had the privilege and exposure of working with renowned designers such as Michael Kors, Tiffany & Co., Kat van Duinen and local designers Katharina & Karl,” she said.

During that time, she also had the advantage of travelling overseas and to work at factories that produced Louwe, Luis Vuitton and Chloe, to name just a few.

Upon returning to Namibia in 2016, she assisted with starting a handbag manufacturing company called Myeisha Leather Products. With Namibia not having the skills and facilities to manufacture handbags on an international level, she saw this as a great opportunity to uplift the manufacturing side of Namibia.

She worked there for two-and-a-half years, training people, designing handbags, making sure they had quality materials and machinery, and everything on the financial planning and admin side. That was where she discovered her interest in the business side of things.

In 2018 Ludeke started her own brand and business called Amâna – meaning ‘truthful’ in Damara-Nama. “I wanted to speak to the real people, designing bags which are practical yet still stylish at an affordable price. Since the start of the business, I have been a one-woman show, only outsourcing the specific skills I need to be able to be a successful brand and business,” she says.

One of her biggest accomplishments was showcasing at South Africa Fashion Week Trade Fair in 2019. She mentions that it was surreal having South Africans recognising her brand and complimenting her social media platforms.

She has faced many challenges throughout her journey, as any entrepreneur would. Finding the right suppliers and effectively communicating with them was very strenuous and frustrating, but it got easier with time. She tried to see every challenge as growth pains – it gets tough, but it makes one stronger.

She discovered embroidered silk socks a couple of years ago and was so enthusiastic about them that she launched her own Zany Soxx range recently. She says these types of socks have never been seen in Namibia or South Africa, and she has received many compliments when wearing them.

“During the strike of Covid-19 I realised I must branch out and not only rely on one brand. I needed products which were an impulsive buy, good price for quality and a price below N$500. The silk socks then just made sense. They were so well received that I sold out my unisex socks within a week,” she says.

She has been thinking a lot about the manufacturing industry in Namibia and is busy brainstorming with industry leaders to expand factories producing local products at international standards.

“As a country, have so many profound local designers who are struggling to manufacture locally due to the challenges of acquiring raw materials, finding skilful seamstresses and having access to the right machinery,” she says.

Ludeke’s main goal is to provide the facilities to make retailing the creations of local manufacturers effortless.

Her proudest moments are every article written about her in the last three years. “Being acknowledged for my hard work is the most cherished I have felt,” she says.

“I have various hobbies which tend to change very quickly. Painting will always be a consistent hobby of mine. After I experienced music and art therapy, I found it so healing that I wanted others to experience it too. I started having art-and-wine nights at my place where I subtly orchestrated what I have learnt throughout my sessions. It is very fulfilling to me and everyone attending,” she said.

Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to always do something that you enjoy doing. “You should have a proper business plan and financial plan to make sure what you are doing is feasible in the long run. You need to be persistent; you need to know when to ask for help; and learn how to fail. Once you have experienced failure, you get to know the quickest way to recover,” she says.

Ten facts about Elzane Ludeke

1. I love a good gin & tonic.

2. I can play the ukulele (terribly, I might add).

3. I am a self-confessed a plant lover.

4. I am ambidextrous.

5. I am a chocolate addict. (Working on that).

6. I dislike skiing as I am extremely graceless with any sport.

7. I started playing golf last year (again, very graceless).

8. I am wonderfully curious and love learning new things.

9. I wear my heart on my sleeve.

10. I am the first to arrive and the last to leave the party (in fact, most of the time I am the host of the party.)