Ahead of its eagerly awaited event in early October, type4girl spoke to Nompumelelo Mondlane, the fab co-founder of The Flamboyance Clique, an organisation that connects women for an eventful day of ‘flamingling’, networking and collaboration, and a safe space to share their experiences of navigating life, work and play as busy and bossed up women.
THE FLAMBOYANT STORY
As it usually is, the social group started humbly. Nompumelelo shares with us that in late 2018, she suffered debilitating symptoms of endometriosis, lost her job and was forced to close multiple businesses and move back home to Witbank.
In 2019, she spun the impact of the unexpected change and poured her energy into founding The Breakfast Club Witbank. “I wanted us to meet over breakfast as women and share our stories and learn something from one another. I reached out to my home girl Londiwe Masilela and shared my vision with her; she shared hers and together we formed The Breakfast Club. It was meant to be small and for around 10 ladies, but to our surprise we pulled a larger crowd,” Nompumelelo says.
A PANDEMIC THAT CAME AS AN EPIPHANY
The group hosted bi-monthly meets until the pandemic put a stop to the fun. But the break came as a blessing in disguise because it was a divine awakening for Nompumelelo and Londiwe’s vision.
Nompumelelo shares, “we realised we were limiting ourselves. Breakfast forced us to host an early meet, and because we’re human, some ladies would be late and consequently miss breakfast or force it into a brunch because most places have a time limit on when they serve breakfast.”
She adds that though they host events mainly in Witbank, having the place in the name was an added limitation.
What’s in a name? Nompumelelo explains
“A flamboyance is a gathering of flamingos, and flamingos represent the kind of women who attend our events. Have you seen flamingos together? They are bright, refined, exquisite and are a joy to watch. When they walk they don’t wobble or rush across the water, they move gracefully and navigate their way with flair. Flamingos are social birds, they develop powerful deep-rooted friendships with their peers and support one another.”
The Flamboyance Clique encourages women to be like flamingos, to stand out and stand tall, to always be prim and proper and not look like their problems.
The Flamboyance Clique presents: DELIGHTFUL BUDTIME MATINEE
The October 8th Flamboyance promises to be an unmissable one with a solid lineup of speakers.
“One of our speakers is a native of Oakland, California. She is, amongst many other things, an Art Curator, Creative Director, Curriculum Developer and Marketing Strategist. She has an extensive repertoire of successful corporate and non-profit industry projects with emphasis on cultivating conversations around Diversity and Cultural and Community Engagements.”
Because it’s also Cancer Awareness month, they’ve invited two brave women who have had to live with cancer. “One of the ladies now runs a flower business. While in and out of hospital for chemo, flowers gave her hope to fight and reminded her she can bloom again; and now she runs a glamorous flower supply business. The other is still going for chemo and will share with us her story. We also have an attorney who now runs her own firm who’ll shed light on her experience breaking the glass ceiling as a black woman in business.”
Those in attendance can expect to learn important lessons in navigating life and handling business challenges. Attendees also stand a chance to walk away with incredible prizes and gifts sponsored by female owned and led businesses.
NETWORKING AND COLLABORATION as The Flamboyance Clique values
The beauty of this meet is that it’s not all about talking, but simultaneously about doing. In an effort to truly empower and uplift the businesses owned by women who are part of this fabulous collective, the event also gives women an opportunity to market themselves and collaborate.
“We want to help one another and promote healthy competition. Because though the pie might be small sometimes, we can all get a slice. We can both offer the same product but we all do things differently and have a special flair about us. If I’m a makeup artist or designer for instance, you can use me for a photo shoot you have, and if you’re a baker, I’ll be sure to reach out if I need baked goodies.”
In essence, the Flamboyance Clique is creating its own market for women running different types of businesses.
Some of the notable women who’ll be at the meet showcasing their businesses include:
- Laa’Florist, a luxe flower company.
- Zanele’s Touch and Dodolicious Kitchen, bespoke bakers.
- Cocoon Prive, luxury satin wig hanger bags.
- Bella Forch, they specialize in curating personalized hampers and gifting boxes.
- Dr Tooth Booth and Dr M Hajee, they offer dentistry services.
- Namisa Events, decor and event planning planning company.
- Travelling With Sophla, a travel agency based in Pretoria.
- Laser Touch Witbank, they offer hair removal in Witbank.
- Sculptured by la, they do body contouring, non-invasive body treatments and more.
- iCherry Enesipho, Your Everyday Fashion Shopper, Mika Liya Apparel, White Pearl Boutique, Captured Style and The Thrift Thrill, they are all clothing companies.
- Teliso Cosmetics, they produce and manufacture skin care products.
- Steam Yoni, they sell yoni intimate care products.
- Yallabina Fitness, they offer personal training.
- Black Zest, a lingerie and Swimwear brand.
- Bluetally Consulting, an Accounting company.
- Afro Glo Hair Studio, natural hair care specialists.
- Glow Touch, beauty, cosmetics and personal care products.
- Elite Beauty, they sell hairline growth products from West Africa and strip eyelashes that have a natural and dramatic effect.
