Lifestyle profile: Ntombi Mokwena
Founder of De Nto Shoe Gallery NTOMBI MOKWENA, 31, left her job in public relations to set up her own shoe boutique.
De Nto offers luxury and unique shoes that nobody else has. We’re about exclusivity. We stock only two pairs per size.”
Ntombi Mokwena has always loved fashion. But she studied public relations after high school and landed a job as an events co-ordinator. “I’ve always had a passion for fashion so I decided to take a risk and be self-employed in 2011. I had some money saved up. So, I resigned and approached a friend who’d been selling clothes she sourced in Turkey. I joined her on her next trip there, and we came back with lots of stock. All of the items I had were sold out in just two weeks!” Ntombi recalls. The clothes she sold were for both men and women. “I operated my business at home. Word of mouth and referrals helped me a lot.” The business name De Nto, Ntombi explains, is actually from her clients. “I think they called it that because of my name, Ntombi.”
So how did the Alexander-born entrepreneur join the shoe-making sector? “De Nto Shoe Gallery started after my venture into selling clothes didn’t work out in the end. When I went back to Turkey to source more items, I noticed a pair of great shoes. I took a picture, which I posted on my Instagram page and soon I was flooded with comments, people asking me how much I sold them for. That’s when I decided to ditch clothes, and focus on selling highend shoes.”
The 31-year-old had already established relationships with suppliers and designers in Turkey so by the time she decided to focus on footwear, she knew exactly who to turn to for quality genuine leather shoes. “And so De Nto was reborn, in July 2016 after I gave entrepreneurship another shot. I created new social media pages for the business,” Ntombi says.
De Nto has grown so much that Ntombi now has a physical store in Bramley, Joburg. “The support has been amazing. I’ve also learnt from my mistakes, like no longer selling through credit. Even though there are many Instagram boutiques, De Nto offers luxury and unique shoes that nobody else has. We’re about exclusivity. We stock only two pairs per size,” she explains.
Ntombi has her sights set on not only selling, but also designing and making her own shoe range. “I truly dream of manufacturing my own shoe line, and to become a supplier, hopefully in the next five years,” she smiles.