Yoliswa Mqoco is a style maven many have come across on Instagram. A minimum of 86 000 people to be exact.
However, the beautiful work Yoliswa posts on her feed is one aspect of the work she does. Among the many hats she wears, she is a fashion stylist (read style architect) a consultant, and a trusted voice to drop knowledge about style as well as conversations around inclusivity.
On what a day in a life looks like for her, she says each day is never the same. “I don't even have like a routine right now. After this, I will be in hair and makeup because I'm shooting something,” she says during our Zoom interview at eight in the morning.
“So, really, generally, what my day looks like is absolute chaos every single day and it looks different every single day. But I think it would be a combination of either meetings, curating content for myself. That's a thing that I generally do often, especially if I'm shooting campaigns back-to-back, booking studios, photographers, working with my team, helping other brands as well because I also consult on the side and I'm actually about to launch a really big thing that I'm doing, which I don't want to say too much about.”
At the moment, Yoliswa has been selected to curate a fashion showcase at the 2023 Hollywoodbets Durban July for the Flaunt Your 100 Colours With Confidence campaign for Dove Invisible Dry. She’ll be working alongside Cape Town-based fashion designer Kat van Duinen.
On how this particular gig came about, Yoliswa says she’s been part of the brand’s family for a long time, “an organic sort of partnership”.
“I've been working with them for a bit and early June, I was sort of meant to do some social media to sort of pipe up the July. But the team [was] like, ‘actually we really believe in you and your creative mind and your ability to create beautiful things, especially in the fashion domain’. And they asked me if I could direct the showcase that is going be at the Durban July. I was definitely surprised but I was very excited.”
With this showcase, Yoliswa says she hopes to somewhat push the envelope when it comes to South African fashion. “I think, you know, the country in general, I feel like we're not up to speed yet with like the rest of the world in terms of where we should be in fashion, I think. And that's where sort of my work comes in. It’s not just speeding the whole country up and getting them to a certain place but to get myself to a certain place, you know, because I have a lot of like aspirations for myself to get to a certain place.”
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On what to expect for this showcase, she says it’s going to be a whole lot of fashion. Her excitement echoes as she speaks about the garments she’ll be working with, designed by Kat.
“Dove is tested on 100 colours and Kat is really amazing with using colour in her garments. So, you can expect a lot of colour … A lot of drama, there's going be something that happens in the beginning that is super exciting for me and is definitely going to be super exciting for you guys to witness whether you're going to a be at the July or online because we're obviously going to, you know, capture the moment.”
From award ceremony to film premiere red carpets, celebrities and other public figures are often put under a microscope for their fashion choices all over the world. South Africa is no different and the Durban July fashion is no exception.
READ MORE | GALLERY | Our favourite Durban July looks
Commenting on the fashion moments she expects to see at the annual event, Yoliswa says, “I think for the attendees and the races itself, I think there always has been a slight disconnect in terms of what to actually wear to the races. But I do understand that South Africans also have their own voices and we should also allow people to have their own voices.
“So, in our country, it really is a time for, or what I've noticed through the years, it's really a time for everyone to take out their best dresses. I mean, floor-length gowns, we're seeing some red carpet looks, which at first I was like, you know. Some hats are involved, generally some gloves but not opera [gloves], maybe a little bit lower. So, very much that sort of thing. But in our country, it's turned into these red-carpet moments but I actually appreciate that about us - that we've [said] ‘oh, well, of course that's what the races should look like but this is our thing.’"
1. Do whatever the hell you want.
That is number one with fashion. Don't, don't look at trends and look at what's happening in the world and take it too seriously. You also need to remember you’re dressing for yourself and you're dressing for your personality, which that is important.
So that's one and do not follow trends because that derails you, you end up spending so much money trying to catch up with trends. And then next thing there's a new wave.
2. Find inspiration
I think a good way to look at inspiration for me is to definitely go to any sources, whether it's online or - I still have a lot of print magazines … I look through them sometimes and you'd be surprised what inspiration that you can get that was like from years ago. So, whatever source that you generally go to, whether it's Instagram Pinterest, magazines [use it]. And for me, another place where I get inspiration is actually everyday people. So, I will people watch for the day as well and especially in the city that I live in, fashion is a huge thing. So I really draw inspiration from that. And once you sort of have an idea, inspiration wise, it's definitely time to execute. I mean, it is two days. So you are you, you don't have a lot of time left. But it is definitely possible.
3. Curate and have fun
Try to now curate in accordance to the info that you found and have fun. I think also fashion is fun and people need to remember to have fun and not take it so seriously. You know, I think social media has definitely put in a tone where fashion has become this serious thing and for me it's just like, no, it's fun. And yeah, I think people also need to definitely remember that, have fun while you're doing this process.
