Tumie, fashion stylist with a golden touch
Tumie Nthutang is a blogger, fashion stylist, digital and social media influencer, and she uses fashion to communicate individuality and authenticity.
A ‘doer’ and excelling at everything that she sets her sights on, her golden touch has been seen and felt by many. She uses fashion to convey a number of messages.
She strongly believes that a good outfit can boost or fix a bad day, and that people will always treat you based on their first impression. And yes, that appearance and tidiness count, which means that one should always put their foot forward and be well groomed.
And lastly, that a good outfit is a form of expression and identity that should speak to who one is. The above pretty much sums up Nthutang and her many show stopping looks. Be it jeans, a sunny dress or a red carpet look, Nthutang has come to prove why clients trust her with their looks.
Nthutang boasts of clients that include some of the top women in the arts and culture industry such as Oratile Kefitlhile and Gaona Dintwe. She also has other clients who are not in the public eye and she is keeping her lips sealed about their identities.
Recently, one of her clients, Obonye Malope who is the Director-Marketing and Communications for First National Bank Botswana (FNBB) gushed on Facebook about how last year she made a conscious decision to work
with or hire young people.
One of these young people, she said in the post, was none other than Nthutang. Nthutang was behind Malope’s red carpet look for the recently held Yarona FM Music Awards, as well as her magnificent 40th birthday party celebration.
Describing how the YAMA’s look was brought to life and the inspiration behind it, she explains that Malope wanted a fashion-forward yet red carpet appropriate dress that could be done in two days. Working alongside designers, Dihdah, they decided to go with a fitted breathtaking mermaid dress. They added life and fashion structure to it via the puffy shoulder detail.
“We brought the look together with a glitzy touch with the matching shimmer beads for that extra sparkle every red carper needs,” she says. The blue dress was a hit, and many who saw it were blown away. She says communication is key when one is working with a client. She wants a client who is able to communicate themselves and what they want.
“I also need a client that can trust my work and sometimes let me push them to taking fashion risk strategically and tastefully. Time management is important to me so the client’s and my time schedule must not conflict otherwise it won’t be practical to work together,” she explains.
Back to the YAMA’s, Nthutang went all out and brought together an outfit that was out of this world. Eccentric style loft designed the emerald green dress, and it was stunning. Her style, she says, is feminine, chic, structure, sexy and sometimes playful.
“However mostly structure because I love those kinds of garments and pieces,” she says. Her choice of wardrobe is inspired by the location or event that she is attending, stylish celebrities, her mother, fashion magazines and runways and most importantly herself.
“I can’t explain that part but I tend to over-think things that translate to my style too. I always find ways of wearing my outfits more than once,” says Nthutang. Besides styling Kefitlhile and Dintwe, she dreams about styling Sadi Dikgaka, who she has been eyeing for ages.
“I have wanted to style her for ages now, the universe has not allowed it yet but I believe it will happen soon,” she shares. Internationally, she would love to style, Kourtney Kardashian who she says she relates to and loves her style. “It would be an experience to push her to take risks here and there but still maintaining what I love about her,” she points out.
One of her fashion icons is South Africa’s Kefilwe Mabote. So which fashion trends are hot right now: it has to be short tulle dresses, beaded cornrow lines and of course slip-on flat shoes are a big hit.
Meanwhile, her blog has allowed her to commercialise her love for fashion, and style. She has been blogging for four years and through the blog, www.tumienthutang.com she shares her fashion journey, lifestyle, fitness, and her work as a stylist and digital entrepreneur.
Her wish is to own a fashion house that handles styling on a bigger scale and she would have a team of stylists who she will mentor and supervise.