At A time the country is embroiled in debate over hair, Grahamstownborn entrepreneur Nomvuyo Treffers has launched “Swimma” – swimming caps for people with Afros, dreadlocks and braids.
Treffers said she did not swim much growing up in Grahamstown and never thought she would one day end up owning a swimming cap company.
It was only when she had children of her own, who started swimming at an early age, that she realised the need.
Her two daughters, aged seven and nine, often asked her to join them while they swam and because she had long, thick dreadlocks, it would take her hours to get her hair dry.
“My girls kept asking me to swim and play games in the pool with them. I would agree to this at times but knew that I would regret getting my hair wet,” said Treffers.
After searching high and low, she eventually found a shop in the UK that supplied dreadlock friendly swimming caps. However, they did not come cheaply, with a price tag of close to R1 000 each.
“It didn’t make sense that in a country where the majority of people have afros, wear braids and dreadlocks could not simply buy a cap anywhere,” she said, adding this inspired her to start supplying caps.
She looked around for a local company that could make the caps and officially launched her Cape Townbased swimming cap supply company on August 31.
The caps are different to normal bathing caps in that they are slightly thicker, bigger and feature a waterproof silicone cover.
Given recent debates about hair started by pupils from Pretoria Girls High, Treffers said being a diverse nation with a difficult history we should look to be inclusive at every chance.
“Our differences shouldn’t be a problem,” she said. “Raising small girls, it’s important to me that they do not receive a message that their natural hair is a problem in any way – be it at school or anywhere else.”
Treffers said the response from the public had been overwhelming and she had already received calls and e-mails for caps from around the country. —
Pioneering swim caps cater for all kinds of hair
Treffers said she did not swim much growing up in Grahamstown and never thought she would one day end up owning a swimming cap company.
It was only when she had children of her own, who started swimming at an early age, that she realised the need.
Her two daughters, aged seven and nine, often asked her to join them while they swam and because she had long, thick dreadlocks, it would take her hours to get her hair dry.
“My girls kept asking me to swim and play games in the pool with them. I would agree to this at times but knew that I would regret getting my hair wet,” said Treffers.
After searching high and low, she eventually found a shop in the UK that supplied dreadlock friendly swimming caps. However, they did not come cheaply, with a price tag of close to R1 000 each.
“It didn’t make sense that in a country where the majority of people have afros, wear braids and dreadlocks could not simply buy a cap anywhere,” she said, adding this inspired her to start supplying caps.
She looked around for a local company that could make the caps and officially launched her Cape Townbased swimming cap supply company on August 31.
The caps are different to normal bathing caps in that they are slightly thicker, bigger and feature a waterproof silicone cover.
Given recent debates about hair started by pupils from Pretoria Girls High, Treffers said being a diverse nation with a difficult history we should look to be inclusive at every chance.
“Our differences shouldn’t be a problem,” she said. “Raising small girls, it’s important to me that they do not receive a message that their natural hair is a problem in any way – be it at school or anywhere else.”
Treffers said the response from the public had been overwhelming and she had already received calls and e-mails for caps from around the country. —
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