MY GREAT ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY - IIE VEGA ALUMNUS

Here are some of the highlights of her Q&A...

Curated Fashion is an e-commerce marketplace. What this means is that we have sellers and buyers on our platform. Our main activity on the platform is thrifting, which is the selling and buying of previously owned clothing and accessories. All of our business is handled online, meaning that sellers are able to open shops wherever they might live in South Africa; and buyers are able to purchase products where ever they are based in the country.

I knew I wanted to become an entrepreneur in my 3rd year of University. I got a friend to help me build an online magazine and I used to blog about construction news and updates in the industry. I was convinced I was going into the construction industry because I had seen my father in it as a child, and so the entrepreneurial pursuit began. After about 6 months of great content but no revenue (and no viability), I decided I’d jump on the wave of e-commerce and have a marketplace where building material manufacturers would sell material to contractors. I thought this was it; I finally found my calling [laughs].

So I got a developer to build this marketplace for me, and it took almost a year for me to own it. It wasn’t because the developers took a year to build it – I had no financial income to pay it off. I personally believe that this was a blessing because, within the year, I had a change of heart. I realized I wasn’t really interested in construction after all, and how could I endure the tough times of a business my heart wasn’t invested in?

So after a period of spiritual seeking, the idea of Curated Fashion came to me. It felt right, and most importantly, it was an idea I was willing to fight for. I have loved dressing up, and styling myself, ever since I can remember. Clothes for me are liberating, in the sense that, they continue the conversation of who I am and what I stand for. So it is a treat for me to run a business that I can have fun with and not be so serious!

When you run a start-up business, you don’t get to have a specific role – you do everything! So I can be the graphic designer, the strategist, the social media manager, the sales representative, and the accountant, all in one day.

I completed my primary and secondary schooling at Crawford Lonehill. Thereafter, I went to the University of Cape Town to complete my undergraduate degree, a Bachelor of Social Science in International Relations & Sociology. Upon completion of my first degree, I wanted to get right into entrepreneurship, however, it was my father who insisted that I pursue my honors degree. 

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* Vega is a brand of The Independent Institute of Education, SA's largest and most accredited private higher education institution.