The Throne Mag - April 2018 - Mimi Mvakali

April 2018

the throne

issue 02

an independent publication

Editor-in-Chief

Cover Star

Co-Star

Photographer

Caron Williams Mimi Mvikali Lee Mvakali Mpumelelo Macu

Styling

Mimi Mvakali

Make-up

Mpho Moeng

Featured Brands

Retoucher

Influenced Berets Mam' Mvakali's Vintage Ray Bans Adelina Tibesigwa

The Throne Magazine is published independently by The Throne Agency (PTY) LTD. caron@thethrone.co.za | www.thethrone.co.za

April 2018

the throne

issue 02

an independent publication

Editor-in-Chief

Cover Star

Co-Star

Photographer

Caron Williams Mimi Mvakali Lee Mvakali Mpumelelo Macu

Styling

Mimi Mvakali

Make-up

Mpho Moeng

Featured Brands

Retoucher

Influenced Berets Mam' Mvakali's Vintage Ray Bans Adelina Tibesigwa

The Throne Magazine is published independently by The Throne Agency (PTY) LTD. caron@thethrone.co.za | www.thethrone.co.za

EDITOR'S LETTER Mam' Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's passing has left me broken. It's utterly strange to be so personally impacted by the passing of someone you're never even met, but humans are such odd, curious creatures. The 4th of April 2018 (the day this goes live), marks 27 years since my mother passed away. I was 18 months old at the time. I only found out when I was 12 years old. My Dad had remarried when I was about 3 years old and he said I just started calling her 'mom', when was the right time to ever tell me the truth? He told me the truth when they got a divorce and I still mourned in the most profound of ways. How do you begin to mourn someone you don't have a single memory of? The pain stung like someone had shot me a thousand times through the heart, perhaps that would have been a kinder fate. But I stand here to say even though many of us may have not known Mam' Winnie personally, we felt a deep connection with her as an icon, a warrior, and a maternal figure to our entire nation.Â

What I've learnt in my complex journey is that it really is our obligation to celebrate life in whichever ways are truest to us. Mam' Winnie was a champion at apologetically being herself and that is part the legacy she leaves behind. I look at Mimi Mvakali and am astounded at her sheer strength, sense of self and incredible power she has honed in her voice. I see Mam' Winnie in her and so many other women whom inspire me every single day. May we celebrate each other as women, may we celebrate ourselves and each moment of our glorious, painful, colourful, exhilarating lives. Caron x

INFLUENCED AN INTERVIEW WITH MIMI MVAKALI

BY CARON WILLIAMS Mimi Mvakali is a powerhouse of a woman.

In some ways, I am very typical and others not, I

With a law degree under her belt and a

love fashion in the sense that I love to make an

budding fashion business underway, she's

occasion out of an outfit. I love the words of the

making sure 2018 serves as her golden year as she emerges as a break out star in the influencer market.

likes of Warsan Shire and Upile Chisala. I am a sucker for a great love story. I want to see the world and I also want to make a difference in it. I keep up with the Kardashians and I would also love

Q: For those who don't know you, how would you describe yourself?

A: This is my least favourite question; I feel the perfect answer would be a balance of a great knowledge of self but also skilfully managing perceptions. I have spent a significant portion of

to work at the UN one day. I am a bit of everything and I am still figuring the bulk of who I am out.

Q: You've amassed an impressive social media following with an audience that engages highly with you. What has your social media approach being?

my twenties not owning my light, but the one thing I can say is that I am constantly evolving, even if it is

A: I would be lying if I said I had a strategy. In

in tiny increments. I am opinionated. I am

about 2011, I started using Twitter as an outlet, in

unashamedly biased towards women. I would like

retrospect it was messy. But that unapologetic

to think that I am the kind of person that always

rawness spoke to some people and I think that’s my

shows up for people - but you'll have to check in

hook with my followers. I found that for everyone

with the people in my life on that one.

telling me that I share too much of myself on social

- my mom would even indulge me with new clothes

media - there were 5 others thanking me for

for civvies day at school. I have carried that with

articulating exactly how they felt. And I loved it. It

me as I have grown older, I really put a lot of

really just made my experiences feel universal and

thought into the outfits that I put together and if I

that was both comforting and a little bit poetic for

can’t get something new, I look for inspiration for

me. I have since changed my approach because

ways I can work with the clothes I already own. I

sharing so much of myself was no longer fulfilling

have always used clothes a source of confidence, I

but having built a following and somewhat of a

think Rihanna famously said it but it’s been my

relationship with my on line family meant that

personal philosophy for years, they can beat me

people were invested in the journey - whatever it

but they will never beat my outfit.

was - so even though I changed the formula, they were still keen for the ride.

Q: At which point did you realize that you had transitioned from being an average Twitter user to occupying a space as someone who has a voice which is immensely impactful and influential online?

Q: How did Beret Influenced emerge as a business?

A: In two ways. I was invited to an event with Tshepi Vundla and the theme was "London street fashion". I had just gotten a very chic blazer/dress for Christmas so I thought it would look great with a beret. I asked everyone where I could get one

A: I had one or two tweets that kind of went "viral".

and no one seemed to know. So my cousin and I

One in particular was about how black women had

(and my mom) went on this great trek for this damn

started loving ourselves loudly from about two

beret. We looked everywhere and eventually had

years ago that is still doing its rounds on social

some luck. This inspired my cousin to buy a few and

media. I was recently approached for my

sell them and I decided to join her, but we were

permission to have that tweet printed on a t-shirt. I

thinking we would buy and sell like 10 and then

also had a few instances where people would stop

keep it moving. Then came Yoliswa, Bonang and

me in the club or wherever really and randomly

the red beret. Social media was a buzz with who

thank me for my tweets.

did it first, who wore it better and then you had the fashion focused ones asking where they could buy

Q: You've begun monetising your influence.

Was this a conscious decision and where/how do you hope to expand your personal brand?

one - I saw the gap and I told my cousin that we absolutely had to take advantage of it. So the Influence part really did emerge from Yoliswa and Bonang.

A: While I was studying and completing my articles, I oscillated between wanting to make myself a brand and sticking to what I studied and pursuing a

Q: What plans do you have for Influenced in future?

corporate legal career. I couldn't fight the feeling that I was sleeping on myself so it was something

A: You know, it’s really interesting how the world

that I discussed with close friends quite often but I

works. Never in a million years did I think that my

made excuses about being lazy or not having the

hustle would be selling berets but I have always

personal branding capacity - this year I decided to

wanted to source on trend and fashionable items

block out the noise (which was all coming from me)

and bring them to the women of South Africa. It

and capitalize on who I had always been - me.

was more of a pipe dream than anything else. But now that I am in this fashion entrepreneurial space,

Q: You mentioned your love for fashion.

When/where did that begin?

I am so inspired to do more and to change the game. For now, we will keep it at one on trend item at a time but I do have hopes to expand beyond

A: My family! My gran in particular. That lady has a

that and contribute to keeping everyone

killer two-piece for every occasion, okay? Growing

fashionable.

up, every occasion needed a new outfit and hairstyle, my mom's master's graduation, my grandfather's retirement, birthday parties, christenings - everything needed an outfit.

Q: Which fashion entrepreneurs are you inspired by?

A: Right now, I am all about Kim Kardashian and Draya Michele. I think Kim Kardashian is so smart and she doesn't get lazy or comfortable. She is constantly expanding her brand and exploiting a market that is obsessed with her. Kim can be problematic but she is current and she jumps onto trends and personalizes them so that people end up associating it with her (I do recognise that I pretty much just call her a cultural vulture but she is really good at it.)

Draya, I admire for building her empire from the ground up. It's not just a matter of attaching her name to something. The brand is her, she is the brand. She is MintSwim, she is Fine Ass Girls. I also love how she has made a name for herself beyond Basketball Wives. Even on the show, people tried to constantly box her and she wasn't about that.

Q: You're currently part of Witchery's new winter campaign. What has the experience been like working with a brand as big and as esteemed as Woolworths?

A: Simultaneously exciting and scary.

Witchery approached my good friend Kim Slaffa, who is also doing really amazing things right now, for this campaign and gave her the opportunity to choose who she wanted to work with and she chose us, her friends. So really, I do feel like I owe so much of this to her. It is my first time doing anything like this and to be able to share this

Q: You recently met David Beckham at the Haig launch. How was that experience?

experience with women I love and admire is invaluable.

It’s also scary because this is Woolworths we

A: Absolutely surreal. It still feels like it didn't happen to me. Again, this is an experience I have to attribute to a friend. Tshepi was one of the influencers selected to work on the campaign with DB and she was allowed to invite guests to the launch. I have had a consistent crush on him

are talking about and we're being featured in Elle - I don't know if it gets any bigger in South Africa. For the most part, I am a rookie but I take pride in producing quality so I

since I was 11 so none of us were sure if I would be an embarrassment or not. I was almost certain that I would start crying but then I was like "no one will ever hire you if you cry for celebrities, sis". I was torn because it was a once in a lifetime opportunity but I also didn't want to embarrass

really wanted the pictures to properly capture the team's vision and I was definitely cognisant of what people on social media

myself or my friend. I really was so humbled by how beautiful and

would have to say. All in all, I think it’s an

personable he was. I think that was definitely one of the best things that’s

amazing opportunity to get my face and

ever happened to me. I miss him.

name out there and hopefully this is the beginning of lots more to come.

Q: You're also currently part of CAN DO!'s #UnbreakableS2 campaign supporting young, emerging entrepreneurs. What are some of the highlights and challenges you've experienced on your entrepreneurial journey thus far?

I think that’s also why you see such amazing numbers on YouTube, I think people would rather watch what you have to say on video than read it in text.

I think our biggest influencers have definitely put in the time and have probably paved the way for those of us trying to enter the space now but there is a

A: MONEY!! We started this business with hardly any

tendency to over use the same faces which sometimes

capital and everything we make we have to put back in

results in a mismatch between the influencer and the

to the business to keep it going. To be honest I don't

brand. But overall, it’s very exciting to watch, I love

think either of us are particularly strong when it comes

the idea of being able to capitalize on one's own

to the numbers and business side of things so that has

personal brand and I think there are a handful of local

been quite challenging. We also weren't the only people

people executing that brilliantly.

with the bright idea to sell berets so we had to figure out how to price ourselves competitively but also profitably.

Q: What can we look forward to from you for the rest of the year?

For me the greatest highlight has been the realisation of a forgotten passion.

A: Abs. I am really trying to get my body right.

To be honest I can't say for sure - but I really would

Q: What are your thoughts on the local influencer, blogger and content creator landscape?

A: I think the space has taken off for international

like to remain who I am but make money from that.

Q: Can you offer any advice to aspiring influencers or digital entrepreneurs?

influencers, bloggers and the like. Think Chiara Ferragni (the Blonde Salad), Margaret Zhang, Tammy Hembrow,

A: I don't know if it would be responsible for me to be

Dina Tokio, Asiyami Gold and Mpho and Nyane Lebajoa.

giving advice when I am still a rookie myself. But the

South Africa tends to lag in trends but we are definitely

two cents I have right now is to remain sharp in order

getting there and power of influence is undeniable. I

to identify the gaps in the market which you can

definitely think that our market cares more for visuals

exploit and once you get an in, remain consistent and

than actual written content - I don't think our fashion

always produce quality.

and beauty bloggers do well because of their writeups, it’s definitely more of a visual game.

"For me, the greatest highlight has been the realisation of a forgotten passion."

- Mimi Mvakali