For The F of Fashion : Miss Toitty by Nothile Khumalo- Part One

Last week and the week before that we have been muttering on about doing posts on up and coming designers. Its actually been a project i've been dying to work on because theres a truck loads of designers we dont know about and we should be knowing of!
So our first post is on Miss Toitty. We met Miss Toitty for the first time at Palulu Love and what drew us to her was her energy and warm smile.

Nothile has also been featured on the October issue of Elle magazine check her hotness out on page94 on a feature called "You wear it well". She was kind enough to loan us her time and answer a few QnA's this is what she had to share...

Who is Nothile Khumalo and where is she from?

Nothile Khumalo is a 20 something lady, small town girl with big dreams. A hospitality management graduate believe it or not. A qualified fashion stylist and garment constructer. I am an all-round fashion enthusiast, a lover of life and all things beautiful. I am the first born child in my family with 1 sister and 2 brothers. I hail from KZN in a town called Mtubatuba 2hrs away from Durban.

Where does Miss Toitty originate from and what inspired the creation of your line? Since then how long has Miss Toity been around?

Back in college some of my classmates use to call me "Noty Toitty" and I really liked it so I just substituted Noty with Miss and asked my close friends and family what they think of Miss Toitty and it turned out to be a winner.

My dream of one day having my own boutique and creating an in-house label was my main inspiration and I also felt that the market lacked simple, stylish pieces with a difference, and were of good quality, reasonably priced and locally manufactured.

My summer collection was my first collection to put out into the market, but I'm sure that my inspiration will change as seasons and trends change. I also want to refine my craft and evolve as time goes on but without losing sight of my core inspiration and the foundation of what Miss Toitty designs are.

Miss Toitty was founded late 2011 but only started operating in 2012.

What type of consumer do you dress? And would you dress our fellow male counter parts?

My brand is aimed at women between 18-30 yrs old. I think these the most stylish years for any woman. You're young, you're free and you're not afraid to experiment, you're want to be different in the way you express yourself through your clothing but most importantly you want great quality at affordable prices. This is the type of consumer I dress. I love men that dress well but I would not dress our fellow male counter parts.

What is Miss Toity’s signature and how does it speak to your targeted market?.

Miss Toitty signature: I design everyday apparel simple, stylish with a difference and it communicates to my target market in a sense that it is unique pieces that are stylish and will not break your bank balance. My slogan is "define your style" I help women take their personal style to that next level without changing who they are.

What does the word Fashion mean to you?

Fashion to me means being free and confident enough to express who you are through your clothes. Defining your own style, not being afraid of being judged on what you are wearing and how you are wearing it.

What do you think of the fashion culture in South Africa and how does it influence your designs?

I love how the South Africans sense of fashion has evolved over the years. I think everyone is on some " I love fashion" tip which is a great thing because it just simply means that people are more open to experiencing with different styles and are no longer confined to what society and our parent say we should wear and how we should wear it. This influences my designs because it pushes me to be more observant as to what people are wearing on the street and to be more creative as trends change often and people are constantly ready for some new and innovative.