Mandla-Enkosi was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, in 1982. He studied at the Mzilikazi Art and Craft Centre and graduated in 2002. Before he came to Ardmore, Mandla worked at Nivek Ceramics and Into-Art in Johannesburg. He joined Ardmore in June 2012, having been introduced to Fée Halsted by Ardmore painter, Sidney Nyabeze. Mandla is extremely talented and paints most of the Ardmore Design Collection functional ware. Says Fée: “I have absolute faith that Mandla will be a superstar at Ardmore. He revels in his creativity.” Mandla says: “What I really love about Ardmore is that it’s a well-known name throughout the entire world with creative artists and it has a very high standard of artwork. It also allows the artists to create their own styles and I really admire that.” In 2012, when the Ardmore Fabrics and Book was launched at Charles Greig in Hyde Park, Mandla painted a large monkey sculpture in fabric patterns as a mascot for the ‘Grand Carnival’. It symbolises the wit and humour that we associate with Ardmore Ceramics. Through 2013 Mandla’s painting blossomed and Fee’s predictions have come true. Today he has become one of Ardmore’s superheroes. His painting can be recognised by his use of indigenous Zimbabwean flora. From ‘The Monkeys and Magnolia Show’ at Patrick Mavros in London, Mandla’s exquisite Gennet Cat Urns winged their way to a top New York collector where they have found pride of place in a Brooklyn home. For the ‘Great Herds of Africa Exhibition’ in Cape Town in early 2014, Mandla painted a magnificent pair of Rhino and Leopard Urns in a similar style.