Baile Bontlefeela Mogoye, 30, fashion assistant for our sister magazine Woman and Home talks about moving from the military to the fashion industry.
When did you finish school?
2002
What and where did you study after matric?
Industrial psychology; I don’t know why. It just sounded cool, but I still don’t like it. I wanted to be a commissioned officer, and that was the only I could be saluted looking beautiful.
Where did you first work? (Internship)
I worked for the South African Military Health Services (Military Health Services), hich is called military skills development in the military. It’s a two-year programme for everyone who joins the military, more like probation.
You were in the military, please tell us more about that.
I joined in 2003, right after matriculating. I did my military basic training in Kimberley for three months, then Pretoria for the rest of the training that lasted for about a year. During that time, I did the junior leadership training in Lohatlha in the Northern Cape. It was the worst training ever, but fun at the same time – first two weeks you do survival training, walk for about 30km (if I’m not mistaken) carrying your R4 rifle, battle jacket with two 2-litre water bottles, diksy (known as skaftini), raincoat, ground sheet, magazine (not BONA, but one for ammunition) and a big bag; and when I say BIG I mean BIG. The bag contained all my military equipment, such as blankets, boots, clothes, toiletries, sleeping bag and all the junk you would need.
After that training, which lasted for about 4 months, I did the theory in Pretoria. From 2004 to 2006 I was studying and had so much fun while learning. We didn’t stop with the military culture, though – we ran every day and did a lot of training. It was, however, much better because we had some freedom.
How were you able to last so long in a male-dominated industry?
The people I worked under made it worthwhile; they were my anchors – taking care of me, teaching me to grow and be independent, and, most of all, to excel at anything I do. It’s actually not that bad. You just have to ignore men who still think that the military is only for them and women belong in the kitchen.
What kind of challenges did you go through at the military and how did you overcome them?
When I started, all the running, waking up at 3am to do inspection, ironing my bedding (it was supposed to have a seam), folding my clothes and polishing the boots was hard. The worst was when we had to go to the shooting range. I overcame all the challenges by thinking of pay day; it kept me going,
What do you do now? (Please explain in detail what your job entails)
I am a fashion assistant at Woman and Home magazine. My role involves:
- Styling for photo shoots
- Sourcing
- Doing web articles
- Writing fashion articles for the magazine
- Doing admin when I need to source and email people we use for the shoot, like photographers and models.
How did you get the job you have now?
My best friend, Sarah Maeli, who works for JKPR told me about the position; so I applied. She pushed me everyday to find out when my interview would be, and mostly did the calling to get information for me. When you have friends who know and believe in you.
What sort of challenges do you face in this industry? How do you overcome them?
I haven’t experienced any, really. I work with wonderful people; we all have different roles to do. From the day I started working, everyone has been very helpful; the fashion editor, Ashleigh, is absolutely amazing.
What’s the best and worst thing about your job?
I love fashion, so I can never have anything worse. I am fulfilled every day. I prayed for this, and I can’t be ungrateful.
What kind of personality does one need to survive in your industry?
You have to be passionate about fashion; it must grow on you for you to survive. Otherwise, you will not understand why it’s done. And, fashion is not only about clothes; it’s everything that is surrounding us, so when you understand these details and what they mean, then the industry will be for you.
If anyone would like to do what you do, what advice would you give them?
I would say, be sure this is exactly what you want. Research about fashion, know your fashion; and not only about fashion, but the ingredients that goes into your being in the fashion industry. Get the knowledge and skills you need to do this job because it’s not only about going to the shops and getting clothes. You have to feel it in you that it is your thing, like Coco Chanel said: ‘I don’t follow fashion, I am FASHION’.
You can follow Bontle on Instagram: https://instagram.com/bontlefeela_b/
