King Gina

Image: https://www.instagram.com/p/BXlMfSTHwDO/ Kamogelo Mafokwane is a luxury brand digital influencer, fashion stylist, content creator and the founder and creative director of WillKate. WillKate is a personal style and lifestyle blog with a swirl of luxury and elegance.  Kamogelo Mafokwane launched WillKate in 2014. She obtained a diploma in Fashion Media and Communications and has an Honours Degree in Creative Direction for Fashion from  London College of Fashion (England). Kamogelo Mafokwane has worked with global luxury brands such as IWC Schaffhausen, Cartier, Wolford, Eylure, Feather's London, Topshop Unique amongst many others.  KG: What inspired the aesthetic of your blog and overall personal brand? KM: I just loved clean aesthetics and wanted to create something that was fresh with a luxury feel. So I was inspired by many different people and things when I first started, and still am today. I get inspired on a dail...

(Founder and Director of Own It Intimate Wear) Letlhogonolo Letsolonyane is a South African entrepreneur and "start-up" queen who launched her luxury intimate wear brand called Own It Intimate Wear in 2016. She has a strong background in retail and studied at the prestigious London International School of Fashion. Her passion and technical background shines through the impeccable craftsmanship of her intimate wear range and the luxurious materials she chooses for her line. The Own It Intimate Wear range has been positively received by celebrities, bloggers and social media enthusiasts as the brand has managed to use social media marketing effectively. (image by Andrew Berry; Own It Intimate Wear Instagram) The brand is available online and at the GEN-XYZ flagship store in Parkhurst, Johannesburg. Below is my exclusive interview with the woman behind the brand. I have bought a few items from the range and intend on buying more as the quality is...

(image via http://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/designing-luxury-experience/) A premium brand does not equate a luxury brand but a luxury brand is always a premium brand. The two have always been used interchangeably. The only problem is that there is a difference between the two and as a marketer or a person interested in brands, one has to be able to distinguish between the two. A luxury brand's main focus is on exclusivity. A luxury brand evokes emotions of superiority and tends to be aspirational in its brand communication. A premium brand's main focus is on superior form and function. When advertising a premium brand, there is extensive focus on specifications and what sets it apart from other products with a similar offering. On his blog, brand guru, Seth Godin expressed that a luxury brand's price is not related to its performance. The price is related to the scarcity of the product, the brand and the storytelling behind the brand. Seth Godin furthe...

(image via https://allevents.in) We are living in an exciting era in Africa. Luxury brands are cropping up all over the continent and buyers with disposable income are ready to join the tribes created by the founders of these companies. African brands are rising and creating an impact all over the world. It is definitely about time that the once coined "Dark Continent" gives international brands a run for their money. Everyone, after all, is opening up businesses in Africa; therefore it is only right that Africans do so too. We have witnessed an increase in the marketing and brand communication efforts of large luxury conglomerates in Africa especially in South Africa where most brands such as Gucci, LVMH et al have opened up stores in all the prominent malls in the country. Africa is definitely open for business. Below is a list of my top four proudly African brands that I am excited about in the luxury market. These emerging brands might have been in t...