Ainley’s Apparel: The Future of Medical Garments

PARTICIPATING in various entrepreneurial-centred programmes has helped 21-year-old Ainley Amunyela, who has always envisioned herself starting a business.

Wilka Kayoko

“I’ve always had a zeal for entrepreneurship. For example, in Grade 4 I tried selling necklaces, which were horrible by the way, sweets at school or pancakes at home and with that I always knew that at some point I would want to start my own business or venture I could pour into,” she recalls.

It was not until the head of state announced a lockdown last year due to the Covid-19 outbreak, when the third-year medical student was finally free from the intense school workload and started planning the birth of her business, Ainley’s Apparel.

“What persuaded me to continue with this idea is that a huge chunk of medical apparel here in Namibia is imported. I wanted to bridge that gap and be one of the people to meet the demand in the country, particularly from a local manufacturing point of view,” she says.

She further highlights, being in the medical field herself as a doctor in training, she would like to dress up in cute pieces as well as see her colleagues and for them to serve as a form of self-expression, comfort and inspiration.

Apart from being a medical student and entrepreneur, Ainley is an influencer, public speaker and mentor. She was recently appointed as the Bramley ambassador. Bramley is a renowned South African cosmetics and skincare brand.

In a live video on Mandela Day, she highlights that she would use the opportunity to pour into one of her other ventures, Purposeful Mentorship Programme.

Ainley’s Apparel, which has been in existence for a year now, has six items, namely, scrub sets, scrub tops, hoodies, clinical coats, T-shirts and toads. The prices range from N$120 to N$500.

To order, clients choose the product they are interested in and specify the colour, size and desired customisation (name, institution and logo). They then contact the business via direct messages on their social media platforms or via email and finally make the payment. It takes less than a month for the apparel to be ready for collection.

“We are a team of two, myself and an intern. An integral part of what we do is client service and quality products,” she says.

-Afterbreak Magazine

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