Who said expecting women cannot look stylish and chic? There is absolutely no reason pregnant women cannot dress well. It is for this reason that a company called Fabulous Nine was formed,
Who said expecting women cannot look stylish and chic? There is absolutely no reason pregnant women cannot dress well. It is for this reason that a company called Fabulous Nine was formed, with an intention of giving women a memorable nine months of their pregnancy and beyond. The company seeks to provide comfortable and stylish apparel for the expecting mothers. They also provide maternity and feeding accessories. Recently they added baby clothes – from the new born sizes up to one year olds.
The business idea struck Tinovonga Glenda Dhlamini when she was just 22 years old, as a second year Computer Science and Statistics undergraduate student at the University of Zimbabwe. She noticed the gap and need in the market when she assisted her brother’s wife to shop for maternity wear in Harare. Their shopping experience was disappointing as they failed to find maternity clothes that met the needs of a young expecting mother. Those that were available in shops were drab, lacking the appeal and style they needed. At that moment, she realised that there was a potential business opportunity -to provide stylish, comfortable and high-quality clothing for pregnant women.
It Bothered Me That I Probably Was Not The First Woman To Have Such An Idea
When she got her first job after graduation, she felt strongly that it was time to put the idea to action. It was a struggle stepping out to do it knowing that there was a possibility of failure “It bothered me that I probably was not the first woman to have such an idea, but how come nobody had implemented it? There was so much competition in the clothing industry from shoes to baby wear and yet nobody had taken up this particular sector,” she said. Using her statistical knowledge, Tinovonga conducted a small market research to establish if there was a market for maternity wear. She distributed questionnaires to women in her circle to establish where they did their maternity shopping and if they were satisfied with what was available on the market. Her study results echoed her sentiments revealing that women were indeed not pleased with what was available locally. They had to rely on relatives in countries like South Africa, United States of America and the United Kingdom to send them maternity wear.
With these findings Tinovonga went on to research more on what made a good maternity outfit then approached two local tailors with her business proposal. Having reached an agreement with the tailors, she put together a catalogue with designs that her customers could pick from. Initially, her business was on a product-on-demand basis. This was because she did not yet have capital to build up her products. Upon pressing an order, a customer would make a down payment which she used to purchase fabrics and accessories to have it made. Her business grew by word of mouth and referrals. After a year in operation, she started building an inventory of ready-made clothes.
They Reached Agreements With Manufacturers And Distributors Of Maternity And Feeding Accessories
As the business grew, she decided to formalise it and established premises to operate from. She partnered with her cousin for pooled resources and together they registered the business in 2010. To expand their horizon, they reached agreements with manufacturers and distributors of maternity and feeding accessories like Carriwell and Medela that supply them with accessories like feeding bottles, nursing bras or breast pads. They further carried out a study at the top three maternity homes in Harare to determine the number of women who gave birth each given month for their business projections.
I Saw That It Was Best To Close Shop And Re-Think Our Strategy
After formalising the business, Tinovonga realised that running it was not as easy as she had anticipated. Since their focus was on the pregnant mother only, their products were viewed as a luxury in an economy where the United States dollar was scarce. Expecting mothers prioritised new baby preparations to purchasing maternity clothes. Furthermore, maternity wear is needed for a short time during pregnancy then looked-for after some time when the woman falls pregnant again. Another challenge was that the local consumers had a high appetite for shopping in South Africa. Their business struggled along until they decided to close after five years of operation. “The United States dollar had become even more elusive at that time, I saw that it was best to close shop and re-think our strategy,” she said.
In 2016, Tinovonga enrolled for the Masters in Business Administration (MBA) program at the University of Zimbabwe. She reveals that the program gave her new insights to solve problems and a different perspective in making her products more attractive to the market. In 2019 she decided to reopen Fabulous Nine, running it alone as her previous partner now had other interests. This time, Tinovonga was prepared for the pitfalls they had encountered in their first attempt. To top that, she now had a clearer vision for her business to be as big as Baby City with a presence in all major cities of Zimbabwe. The company incorporated baby wear and essentials so that it can be a one stop shop for expecting mothers.
The company has an advantage over South African retailers because they understand what the local market needs and aims to meet their expectations beyond any other clothing business. Moreover, they own the whole value chain in the production of maternity apparel and source accessories directly from manufacturers making their products comparable to South African retailers. In the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic, lockdown measures boosted sales as they force buyers to seek products locally.
A Real Vision Will Be Tested To Prove Its Authenticity, So Do Not Give Up
Tinovonga is grateful for the support she received from her mother from the time her father passed when she was still in high school. She is inspired by Mr Mataranyika; the founder of the Nyaradzo Group, by how he turned a simple business model into something remarkable through meeting expectations of the local market. She is also influenced by books written by Dr Myles Munroe and she believes that fear can stop someone from stepping out to be all that God made them to be. She finds joy and inspiration from the feedback that comes from her clientele thus Tinovonga urges young entrepreneurs to step out and try out the business ideas that they might have even though it may be hard. “A real vision will be tested to prove its authenticity, so do not give up,” she said quoting the word of Dr Myles Munroe.
