Local fashion brand House of Poulton officially launched its masterclass incubator at the Creative Industry Institute Africa in Windhoek on Thursday, aiming to equip the country’s next generation of artists and designers with the business skills needed to survive in the industry.

‘’The new incubator programme is designed to tackle this lack of opportunity in the creativity space, offering mentorship, industry exposure and practical skills development’’ says Hilary Wang, one of the fashion stylists and organisers of the launch and initiative.

The initiative has gained high-profile backing from its official patron, Miss Namibia 2025 Johanna Swartbooi.

Speaking at the launch, Swartbooi gave a speech about the realities facing local artists, emphasising that raw passion isn’t enough to pay the bills.

“Nobody can come for us as creatives. We have our own unique identity,” Swartbooi said. “But the business part is where we all struggle. We need the knowledge to run physical, creative businesses because that’s the part that fails us.”

Swartbooi praised House of Poulton’s leadership for stepping up to share their industry roadmap rather than keeping the knowledge to themselves, thanking them for “passing the platform to the next generation”.

The House of Poulton will be open for the public to showcase their creativity and to see various artworks that are being showcased at the incubator.

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