Yasmin Furmie

Which item in your wardrobe would you never part with?

My shoes! I have a sentimental attachment to anything that goes on my feet. I have an obsession with shoes and sneakers. Over the years I’ve gone through different styles, but these days I prioritise comfort, so I wear brogues and flats. The last piece of footwear I bought was a pair of stunning Maison Margiela MM6 boots.

You cut your hair a few years ago and have experimented with several colours since. Why the big change?

I used to have long beautiful curls, but as I got older my hair got a bit thinner and didn’t look as good. Now I ask my son to give me a number three shave. I do see it as an accessory, but it’s also very liberating for me because it’s something I don’t have to worry about. As a woman you’re always preoccupied with your hair and if it’s too short, it’s seen as masculine. But I’m long past the idea that short is equivalent to being masculine and long is equivalent to being feminine. I straddle both worlds.

Your Instagram profile reads: ‘Never act your age.’ Is that a principle that guides your style? It used to, but I have lived by it for so long that I do it subconsciously. There’s this misconception that when you reach a certain age you become invisible: you can’t be bold or daring; you can’t be outspoken. You’re expected to go quietly into the sunset, but that’s not me. It’s something I will always be fighting against. In some ways, I do act my age because I’m not scared to tell people who I am in that sense.

Has your view of fashion changed over the years?

A few months ago I was held up by two armed men in Johannesburg. They took my earrings and my favourite Balenciaga handbag. And

I don’t miss it – not for one minute. If I were 20-something, losing a Balenciaga bag would be a major thing. But now my priorities have changed and material items don’t mean all that much to me. Some things just aren’t as important as they used to seem.