Talented teen creates clothing from waste

"I WANT to use my talent to build a better life for my family and myself."

These words from shy Jamie-Lee Fourie, 15, from Gerald Smith in Uitenhage, explain why she spends all her free time designing fashionable clothes from waste material, which she sells to earn money for food at home and to save up for her studies after school.

The Grade 8 Bergsig High School pupil first put her fashion designing skills to the test at age sixwhen she designed a shiny, off-the-shoulder children's top from off-cuts, which won first place at a fashion expo.

Her mother, Lucia, said although her daughter needed the money made from her business venture, she often designed clothes for less privileged children whose parents could not afford to buy any.

"The day Jamie was born, I knew there was something special about her," Lucia said. "The best part is that she does all this by hand as we can't afford a sewing machine. - Alvené du Plessis