Aug 2019 Jhb West

Constantia Kloof’s fashionista, Nqobile Nkosi believes that you need more than smoky
eyes and killer high heels to look great ...
After chatting to Nqobile, we
can honestly say that she is the
embodiment of style. Not fashion.
Style! Which is that rare combination
of intelligence, beauty, grace and
wit. After 17 years she has kissed the
comfort of a corporate job goodbye
to pursue her lifelong dream of
combining her love for all things
fashion with her desire to help
women. Nqobile founded Divine
Elegance Image Consultancy in 2008
and has since used this platform
to empower women and young
girls through fashion and public
speaking. Between her job and her
family, she always finds the time to
dress as if she is about to conquer
the world. This ambitious mother of
three works hard to be a role model,
not only for her own two daughters
and son, but for every woman in
her community.
How did you go from being
a banker to becoming an
image consultant?
Beautifying women has been
my dream job for as long as I can
remember. While I still had my
corporate job, I attended women's
gatherings during the weekends and
talked about beauty. But the biggest
turning point was when I was doing
ministry work and visited the Chris
Hani Baragwanath Hospital. They
had a special ward for women who
were depressed and stressed out.
The women I spoke to in that ward
had been in abusive relationships
or had a tough time overall and had
given up on life. That made me think
that I could help women like this if I
pursued my true passion.
How do the two career paths
compare to each other?
What I do now doesn't feel like
work at all. I enjoy talking to people
and seeing their faces light up. I
enjoy contributing to somebody's
happiness or their acquisition of new
knowledge. The beauty industry is
quite inundated and you have to
find a way to stand out.
How do you support, mentor and
train the young women?
I've seen a lot of young women with
no plans for the future, and women
getting involved with men who are
trouble, because they need money.
To solve this problem, I train young
women to do make-up and nails. This
way, they can make their own money
and contribute to their households.
What role does fashion and makeup
play in your own life?
My mother always said to me that you
are as old as you want to feel. When I
got married, she told me that I should
never stop dressing well and looking
beautiful. August is my birth month
and I will be 43, but a lot of people say
that I look so much younger. That's
because I am always conscious of how
I look after myself and how I dress. I will
never follow trends, because fashion
comes and goes, but my unique style
is who I am.
What is the one thing that people
don’t know about image consulting
but definitely should?
Most women think that in order to go
and see an image consultant you have
to earn a lot of money. Other women
say that they dress appropriately
and are fine with their make-up
routine, but they don’t realise what
a difference using the correct makeup
for your skin tone or the correct
clothing for your body type can make.
Image consulting is about all of you.
It starts with the inside, because what
you feel inside shows on the outside.
My business mantra is ‘Bringing out
your inner beauty’ and you certainly
don’t have to break the bank to look
and feel good.
What drives you to continuously
empower women through
public speaking?
I love people and making a difference
in a person's life makes me feel so
fulfilled. I do a lot of public speaking
but I also help other women public
speakers to look their best, be
confident and excited before going on
stage by helping them with make-up
tips suited to their skin undertones,
and also styling tips suited to their
body shape and size. This will help
them make a lasting impression.
What big challenges have you faced
and how did you overcome them?
Working with a lot of women, I have
realised that not every woman is
interested in wearing make-up. I
respect that, so I show them how
to pull off a minimalistic make-up
look that they will be comfortable
with. All women are beautiful but
sometimes we need a little make-up
to help us look fresh, professional
and youthful. On the business front,
I find it challenging that I have to
convince some people to pay for
image consultancy services because
they don't all realise the importance of
taking care of yourself.
Details: Nqobile on 083 567 8581,
nqobile@divinee.co.za or follow her on
Facebook, NqoDivineImage
One on one with Nqobile...
How would your friends describe you?
I am a person of excellence and very particular about how things are done.
On the other hand, I’m a visionary and I’m open to change. It’s always good
to have a Plan B.
Are your children following in your footsteps?
My eldest daughter is 22, my son is 17 and my youngest daughter is six. My
eldest daughter is a fashion designer and assists me at big events. The little
one is obsessed with watching YouTube videos about make-up and says that
she wants to be a vlogger.
With August being Women’s Month, what important message do you
have for your daughters about womanhood?
Take care of yourself. Take care of how you see yourself and how the world
sees you. Make sure you are healthy and happy. The world needs strong
women. We do so much for everyone else, but we need to focus on
ourselves sometimes.
August 2019 Get It Joburg West 19