BLOG SPEAK: FUNEKA 'THE QUIRKY STYLISTA' NGWEVELA

Funeka Ngwevela- aka The Quirky Stylista- won the Marie Claire Magazine sponsored street style award at last year's SA Style Awards. She was named a style icon at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards a few months prior to that and I hear she's been busy working with Mr Price on a winter collection- a first for any blogger in South Africa. When deciding in the first fellow blogger to profile there was no second guessing for me, it just had to be Funeka; a blogger who has made her way into the hearts of many by simply being her quirky self!

THEQUIRKYSTYLISTA.BLOGSPOT.COM

How long have you been blogging and why do you do it?

I started The Quirky Stylista in 2009. I wanted to document my style and reach out to a much broader audience. The blog was something different for me; it had a real structure and enabled me to document my lifestyle properly instead of bombarding people with pictures on social networks.

What inspired you as a blogger?

What inspired me then and still inspires me today is my love for all things native, bohemian and vintage.

What are some of the biggest achievements you've had as a blogger?

Biggest Achievements so far was when Mr Price discovered my blog back in 2010, winning GLAMOUR Woman Of The Year Style Icon Award and Marie Claire Best Street Style Award.

Do you think blogging has the potential of becoming serious business in South Africa?

Blogging does have the potential to be a "real" job. It's also a great platform for people to voice their opinions on things that are important to them. We can't all be successful fashion bloggers, though. Finding your voice and sticking to your own tune is important otherwise you end up being a vehicle for someone else's dreams.

A few years ago there was only a handful of bloggers admitted to places like fashion week, but now it seems everyone and their pet has a blog, thanks to things like Tumblr for instance. How do you feel about the blogosphere now and the new bloggers that come up as opposed to those who have done it for a long time?

I've recently came to a realisation that Fashion Week is about who you know (sadly) and not how long you've been in the game. I'm always gutted when credible bloggers get 19th row while newbies get front row.

What else do you do except blogging?

I work as a stylist.

Mr Price blogged about your visit to Durban to do a limited edition range with them. How did this come about and what can we expect from your collection (if you are allowed to reveal anything of course)?

All I can is that it is coming out in winter and it's going to be very rad!

What are your hopes for the future of blogging in South Africa and your hopes for yourself as a blogger?

Blogging is becoming more and more popular and hope that it's not a phase. For me, I want to keep on inspiring people in subtle ways. With that said, It's important to find your own niche instead of just reblogging images.

Join Funeka's quirky style adventures on thequirkystylista.blogspot.com