GirlGuides chats with Milisuthando Bongela – fashion blogger, writer, trend consultant and MeMeMe boutique co-owner.
Who she is
Is there something Milli doesn’t do? With a degree in Media Studies and Journalism from Rhodes, she writes for the Mail & Guardian, has a fashion blog, a column in Destiny Magazine, co-owns a boutique which stocks South African designer clothes and does trend consulting for Woolworths. (Did we mention she is only 26?)
Calling all fashionistas…
“Doreen Southwood started MeMeMe in 2001. It was on Long Street in Cape Town when there were no other shops like that. She started with five designers and now has 32... I fell in love with MeMeMe in 2006 when I lived in Cape Town.”
MeMeMe is about making designer clothes accessible. “We have plans of global domination – we want to build an empire!”
Visit: MeMeMe - 54 6th Street, Parkhurst
A girl and her gadgets
“I’ve got my computer, my cellphone – a Nokia E7, which I’m still getting used to, it’s very slick – and a Nikon COOLPIX digital camera. I’m a blogger so I take my camera with me everywhere to take pictures of everything.”
My dream computer is a MacBook Air. I literally quiver when I see that computer – it is so beautiful. If it only had a disc drive… but’s its an Apple!”
That tablet trend
“I cannot cope with all these tablets that look like iPads. Samsung has a phone which looks like an iPhone and a tablet that looks like an iPad – it’s very tacky. I love the iPad, and I wouldn’t mind buying one, but I don’t see the point of it really. Everything needs to be practical and functional for me, so if I can send an e-mail from my phone, why do I need to send one from an iPad? It’s a nice in-between gadget to have but do I need it?”
Shopping online
“South Africans are so slow to catch-up but we’re also very cautious people. Our service delivery compared to the States or England is not so good. If I order something, will it arrive? If I send something, will it get there? We’d definitely like to have an online portal for MeMeMe in time…"
Living a digital life
“We may be living be living in a highly technological world, but it doesn’t have to consume you. You can dabble in it… but for me, in order for my life to be balanced, I cannot be completely immersed. Technology should add to your life, not consume it. Gadgets should be easy, simple, practical, cute, good-looking… that’s it.”
Blogging for Style
“Fashion blogging is a new-age phenomenon that has democratised fashion consumption. It has broken the boundaries that were originally set by top fashion magazines like Vogue and ELLE. Now, all those elite editors have to share their point of view (of what they think about fashion) with bloggers from anywhere in the world. It’s nice to see how real-people interpret fashion.
There’s only a handful of South African fashion bloggers, my favourite is Miss Moss – it’s inspiring and gorgeous.”
Tweet tweet
“I love Twitter, it’s my favourite thing. I wake up and check my timeline. I don’t know what people were doing 10 years ago when they needed a collective opinion on something.”
One of my favourite things is watching TV on Twitter. Tweeting, while watching TV, and watching other people’s responses is like being in the same living room as them. With Idols, Master Chef, Generations… you can’t watch these shows without Twitter. It changes how you consume anything – I hardly watch the news anymore. If it isn’t on Twitter, it’s not news.”
“The concept of self-expression has been deconstructed - it’s so easy to express yourself. You don’t even have to say anything, you can just click 'Like' or retweet.”
Read Milli’s blog: http://missmillib.blogspot.com/
Follow Milli on Twitter: http://twitter.com/@missmillib
