By: Nkosiyabusa Nsibande
Eswatini’s efforts to develop its fashion and creative industries are increasingly shifting from promoting creativity to building commercially sustainable businesses, with formalization, intellectual property protection, business management, and market access emerging as critical components of enterprise development.
Speaking at The IP Runway: The Business of Fashion Workshop at Royal Villas, Mluleki Dlamini, director of the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Department under the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Trade, encouraged designers and entrepreneurs to formalize their businesses as a first step towards building enterprises capable of scaling.
Dlamini said formal registration provides an important foundation for entrepreneurs seeking to grow their businesses and take part more meaningfully in the formal economy.
“Any business needs to be registered formally before we can start any journey that we’ll want in terms of how you scale up your business,” Dlamini said.
He encouraged designers who have not yet formalized their operations to approach the relevant government offices to understand the registration process, including company registration and the process for obtaining trading licenses. He said the ministry remains willing to assist entrepreneurs in navigating these processes as part of broader efforts to strengthen the MSME sector.
The emphasis on formalization carries significant financial implications for businesses seeking to move beyond survivalist operations. A formally established enterprise is better positioned to maintain proper business records, protect its intellectual property, establish commercial credibility, and engage with institutions that provide business development support and financing.
However, Dlamini cautioned entrepreneurs against viewing access to finance as the starting point of business development. He argued that capital should follow a sound business idea rather than be used as a substitute for proper planning, management, and commercial viability.
“I always say that we don’t have to always front-load financing in business, but we really need to start by getting the ideas right before we can then say, ‘Here is the money to work,’ ” he said. The ministry is consequently taking a phased approach to supporting entrepreneurs, beginning with areas such as intellectual property, business management, idea generation, and mentorship before moving towards financing. Dlamini said the approach is intended to ensure that entrepreneurs demonstrate resilience and develop the necessary capabilities before receiving financial support.
The strategy is particularly relevant to young entrepreneurs, whose participation in the fashion and creative sectors could provide an alternative pathway to employment and ownership of enterprises. Dlamini noted that the strong presence of young designers at the workshop was encouraging, arguing that bringing more young people into entrepreneurship could help address unemployment and poverty. He said the ministry intends to continue supporting entrepreneurs through skills development and mentorship, while helping them navigate the challenges of establishing and expanding their businesses.
Market development was also highlighted as an important component of building sustainable enterprises. Dlamini challenged entrepreneurs to first strengthen their position within the domestic market before attempting to compete regionally and internationally. “We need to start supporting the local businesses. Then we can now say, “Let us look at regional and international markets,” Dlamini said.
For local designers, developing a domestic customer base is critical, as international expansion requires demonstrating that their products can attract and retain customers in competitive markets. Building local demand can help entrepreneurs refine their products, establish pricing strategies, understand consumer preferences, and strengthen their production capacity before pursuing larger markets.
Dlamini also challenged consumers to support local businesses based on the quality and value of their products, rather than simply out of a sense of obligation to promote local enterprises. For the creative sector to become commercially sustainable, local products must compete on quality, price, reliability, and design.
This places an equal responsibility on designers to ensure that creativity is supported by sound commercial thinking. Dlamini said entrepreneurs must approach creativity strategically and understand that artistic ability alone does not guarantee a sustainable business. “In terms of creativity, there must be a strategy to innovate and be business-minded,” he said.
For fashion and creative enterprises, this means developing capabilities that extend beyond design and production. Pricing, financial management, intellectual property protection, branding, customer acquisition, production planning, and market development are all necessary components of building an enterprise capable of generating sustainable revenue.
Dlamini further called on government and other stakeholders to create platforms where entrepreneurs can interact directly with customers while accessing mentorship and business development support. Such platforms, he said, can help bridge the gap between creative talent and commercial enterprise. “Together we can transform fashion into a driver of identity, employment, and economic growth,” Dlamini said.
The development of Eswatini’s fashion industry, therefore, presents an opportunity to broaden the contribution of MSMEs to the economy. Designers who formalize their businesses, protect their intellectual property, develop commercially viable products, and establish sustainable markets can move beyond individual creative ventures to build enterprises that generate employment and economic value.
The approach outlined by Dlamini places business readiness at the center of financing decisions. Rather than treating funding as the solution to every entrepreneurial challenge, the emphasis is on developing businesses with sound ideas, capable management, clear market opportunities, and the resilience required to deploy capital effectively. The message for designers is to build the business first, then use finance to accelerate its growth.
