Style star Lunathi Mampofu reveals her fashion secrets
While the award-winning actor has been deservedly getting her flowers, taking home accolades from the Royalty Soapie Awards and the Feather Awards, Lunathi remains as humble and driven to take care of her family, revealing that although she was winning awards she was out of work and had to sell her car to support her family.
Through it all, the 38-year-old thespian and mom remains a shining star in the entertainment industry. Not just for her captivating onscreen performances, but also for her distinct street style.
Lunathi always brings her best, whether it's a tailored 'fit exploring her androgenous style or sporting bold prints on the red carpet.
'My clothing is a form of expression of how I feel at that time,' Lunathi tells TRUELOVE.
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From a fashion line in the works to drawing inspiration from her mother, Lunathi dives into her eclectic fashion sense.
How would you describe your personal style?
'I dress how I feel, I design how I feel and most of the stuff I'm dressed in I've designed or I've inspired the designer to do them like that. I always like to look different, my mom was always the type of woman who would not dress like anyone else ... She wouldn't go into the typical shops that everyone shops in but she will go and find boutiques and all that stuff because she always wanted to look different and I think that's what I kind of draw from, obviously, because she used to dress us like that as well as children. But I don't like to look like anyone else, to be honest with you.'
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What's next for you in the fashion space?
'I'm inspired by clothing a lot and I am going to start my own clothing brand soon ... It's been in the pipeline, it's something that I'm working on, and I'm praying to God to just direct me through it and I do it as well and as hard working as I do my craft.
'I want to give my all and I want to have enough time. That's something, unfortunately, that we don't get enough of.'
A lot of your style includes bold shoulder pads. What do you love about making that kind of statement?
'The shoulder pad thing, for me, is just like, it gives you what we call isidima (gravitas). Shoulder pads [are] like i-petticoat. You know the petticoat thing that our parents used to wear underneath and then they wear with stockings and they'll wear their heels? It's one of those things that are staples that presented what a woman - poise. What isidima looks like and for me, that's what it is.
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'I was brought up by a woman who was constantly looking beautiful, loved herself, carried herself well to a point where you'd be scared to even say hi type of a situation because she's got that thing and I feel like i-shoulder pads do that for me.'
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What colours do you love against your skin?
'Nudes. I love nudes, I love black. But I think the colour of my skin complements, the shade of my skin, let me just say, is open to complementing a lot of different colors. That's why I like to experiment and play with them. But I am a natural colour woman.'
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