Meet Unathi Mgolombane. The environmentally conscious craft artist behind doba.upcycle. A business that transforms discarded waste materials into carefully constructed, innovative, jewellery pieces.

Unathi has always had a love for crafting and design. As a young child, she made clothes and jewellery for her dolls and as a teenager used the skills she learned to create her own clothes and accessories. During her studies at the Imbali Visual Literacy Project, Unathi realised she not only wanted to make jewellery but produce it in a way that gave back to the environment. And so, doba.upcycle was born.

To create her jewellery, Unathi uses waste material. Some of which she finds at home, and others she finds in dumping sites around her neighbourhood – transforming waste from an eye-sore into unique jewellery. Her pieces are bold and attention-grabbing, an intentional move to attract new customers and start conversations around sustainability.

Through the Woolies Youth Makers Programme Unathi has learnt how to amplify her branding. With the guidance of her mentors, she has refined her logo, created a swing tag and curated a whole look and feel to present her product to the public. Unathi expressed the programme has given her the support and confidence to believe her business is ready to compete with leading creative jewellery brands,

In the future, Unathi envisions owning an upcycling centre where people can drop off waste to be recycled in exchange for payment. She also wants a space to teach young people hand skills to encourage their use of alternative materials and spark a desire to be their own youth changemakers.