In celebration of Women’s Month, we honour and continue to highlight the amazing work done by women in business, media and our communities. Nomachule ‘Norma’ Mngoma, chairperson of NM Foundation and owner of the Suitably Norma suit range, recently bagged two prestigious awards for her Suitably Norma suit line.
The businesswoman recently came out victorious bagging the Female Founders Initiative – Middle East & Africa (FFI-MEA) business award for best Fashion Designer and was later honoured with the Panache Woman of Wonder award.
BONA had the privilege of speaking to Norma about her Suitably Norma brand, what it takes to stay strong in the challenging world we live in, as well as her views on women’s roles in business and leadership.
Speaking of what Women’s Month means to her and where she feels change is needed moving forward, the mother of two acknowledged that women are slowly taking up space and being recognised in places and careers that were previously male-dominated.
She highlighted that she wishes women would be more supportive of one another, and less critical of each other. The award-winning designer also pointed out that if women were to move collectively, they would easily change the narrative that females are good for certain careers and home duties.
When asked how she deals with the challenges in business and life in general, Norma shared that it is important for a person to know their identity and not lose who they are when dealing with life challenges. She commented, “You can go through the song, but during the song and after the song, don’t lose who you are.” She also highlighted the need not to isolate yourself when going through the storm, adding that when she was faced with difficulties in her life, she did not allow herself to be in bed and down, as that leads to “bridging the gap for depression to come in.”
Norma’s biggest wish, as she pointed out, is for women to open up platforms for others to jump in as they climb up the ladder. She shared that she has future plans to open up platforms where she can teach young, upcoming designers about the fashion industry and the financial, marketing and branding side of it too.
The fashionista mom is hopeful that the Suitably Norma brand will have stores in all nine provinces, eventually cracking the international market, but Norma stresses the importance of making sure that the brand is fully ready for such. She also states that she will not jump at an opportunity just because it presents itself, knowing that she is not in a position to handle the pressure.
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