Durban - Online shopping is gaining momentum as shoppers ditch the legwork in favour of shopping on phones, tablets and laptops. A study commissioned by Google and published by World Wide Worx last year found that online retail was growing at about 30 percent a year.
uMhlanga’s Wendy Vesela-Ntimbani, 31, is excited to be part of this trend, but she believes there is also a cautious mindset about shopping online for clothing in South Africa.
After living in the Czech Republic for several years, where she bought nearly all her clothes online, she expected to find equal enthusiasm in South Africa, but was surprised to find many people resistant.
“It is natural in Europe to buy clothing online and I expected that when I came home,” she said.
“However, although it is not as prevalent, it is growing fast and there is enormous potential. People are short of time and online shopping is a huge time-saver.”
She identified a gap in the fashion market for luxury designer goods at discounted prices, and in November set up the Makoya Brands website selling top brands, sourced from fashion capitals in Europe.
“I have several brands including Armani, Guess, Diesel, Bruno Magli, Ralph Lauren and more exciting new brands in the pipeline,” she says.
To keep prices down, she sources over-runs or items from a previous season, regularly travelling overseas to source stock. The quality is as good as if you had bought the items from the designer’s store, she says.
She is targeting middle-class women and men who want to buy luxury brands at affordable prices.
It is an ambitious move, but ambition and entrepreneurial flair are not new to Wendy, who knew from an early age that innovation and a strong work ethic are a recipe for success.
She grew up in a humble village in Limpopo where, in junior primary school, she had lessons under a tree. She was also an entrepreneur at an early age, and ran a tuck shop from home, selling crisps and sweets to children as they walked home from school. She enjoyed owning a business – a sentiment that would stand her in good stead.
“My parents were hard-working, middle-class people who instilled a strong work ethic in me,” she says. “Mom is a professional nurse and dad worked for a mining company.”
When it came to choosing a career, Wendy enrolled at the University of Johannesburg and completed a degree in chemical engineering, before joining SABMiller.
There she met brewmaster Petr Vesely, a Czech national who was in South Africa on secondment to SABMiller. He returned to the Czech Republic in 2005. Wendy followed two years later. They were married in South Africa in 2008.
“We settled in the Czech Republic and I learnt to speak Czech. I struggled to find work in my field so I got a job as a sales executive for a conference planning company.
“Then another world opened up for me. I had done modelling as a student in Johannesburg and, because I was tall and dark, I was approached to model. I did photographic shoots, advertising, as well as ramp work, taking part in Prague Fashion Week. It gave me a taste of haute couture.”
But it was not all about work and Wendy and Petr started a family. Matej, now 4, was born, followed by Alan, now 2.
While working and studying in Europe, the idea of Makoya Brands came to Wendy. “I was completing my MBA and scouting for ideas. I was used to shopping online and I would have clothes from all over Europe sent to me by courier. I realised I could do this in South Africa – and last year, we relocated to the KZN North Coast.”
Makoya Brands is her passion and she has spent the past three months building her website. She plans to mix local and international brands, to support local designers. Expansion into other countries in Africa is on the cards too.
Her door-to-door service and easy return of unwanted items is time-saving, with safeguards in place so payment is secure. “The site is interactive and easy to use,” she says. “I want shopping to be a pleasant experience.” - Daily News
Visit: www.makoyabrands.co.za