Five @ Five: with Mmaphuti “Phuti Styles” Movundlela

 

Not only does she serve us fantasy girl aesthetics with a dash of Y2K vibes, she also has a number of other creative interests that she has under her belt. Notingnew is the name of her thrift store and when she’s not plugging us with awesome thrift finds, you can find her taking snaps of her friends who feature on her photography page @phutipichas.

Currently studying towards a fashion design qualification, she also combines her love for creating by being a stylist, content creator and YouTuber. Culture Club presents this weeks Five @ Five feature: Mmaphuti “Phuti Styles” Movundlela.

 

 

Who is Mmaphuti “Phuti Styles” Movundlela and what inspired the name Phuti Styles?

Mmaphuti is a creative who is also a student currently studying towards a qualification in fashion design. I was born in Thembisa but we relocated to Rustenburg later on. The name Phuti Styles came about in 2017. That year, I used to rock braids in different colours. Actually, now that I think about it, any hair style I had, had an element of a bright color associated with it. My colourful hair styles used to happen on a monthly bases where I’d have bright hair. It eventually became something I was known for. “Phuti‘s bright hair styles” which not only referred to my bright hair, but it also referred to my own person style…”Phuti’s Style”.

 

Who inspires your style?

First person who definitely inspires me is Nyane. She’s from Lesotho but is currently based in Amsterdam. She started this whole thing of black girls having colorful hair and being proud about it. She later on started her own hair brand and that’s really inspiring. I also like @wazg00d and @uglyworldwide…check them out on Instagram. I also love Sho Madjozi. Some people even call me Sho Madjozi (you know South Africans).

 

How the hell do you make pink look so amazing?

Pink works wonders on brown skin. It’s like strawberries and chocolate. Plus it’s safe to say that, know your color wheel rules to fully understand what I’m saying.

Why did you stop your YouTube channel?

Last year was a very overwhelming year. I had just moved to a new city and just started studying fashion. My classes were from 8am to 5pm everyday. (Durban University of Technology). I didn’t have time to edit my videos. I still kept filming so, I have tons of old videos in my laptop. I think the most important thing I wanted, was for my channel to be more educational, other than just post vlogs. I also want to share my thoughts on the fashion industry in South Africa etc .

But I am coming back to YouTube. I haven’t stopped, I just took a long break.

 

Outside of fashion and photography, what is your next interest? Not just career wise?

I really don’t see myself outside of fashion. If I had to, I would probably dance or I would act…lol but you can see, I just love anything Art.

Check out Phuti’s social media pages and YouTube for all things fashion, thrift and aesthetics. Visit her YouTube here and Instagram here.