SHAPE SHIFTER

Taking a leap from the corporate sector to follow her dream of setting up her own fashion brand for women with a fuller figure, Laverne Turner-Manuel is as authentic as her brand. Passionate about empowering women, she also regularly hosts motivational talks. Her overall mission? To nurture human connection – and to remind people to treasure one another. Editor Ingrid Corbett got her alone for some girl talk.

- Ingrid Corbett

It's a long way from Kuils River to Dubai, both literally and figuratively, a fact that Laverne Turner-Manuel is reminded of daily. She's perched on a stool in the studio, her eyes closed and her head thrown back as the make-up artist expertly applies foundation. Laverne draws shapes in the air with her hands as she talks, and you can tell she's not accustomed to sitting still.

"I was born behind the boerewors curtain," she laughs, her right arm sweeping out in the direction of the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town. 'I was predominantly raised by my father in my teenage years, my parents divorced when I was 13,' she continues. Though her mother drifted in and out of her life, Laverne developed a very strong bond with her father that continues to this day. 'He did everything for me, even though I don't think he always knew what he was doing,' she smiles. 'We kind of looked after each other; he was my friend, my confidante.

As a teen, Laverne became pregnant. Determined to complete her education, she got her matric diploma and went on to study performing arts at the Cape Academy of Dramatic Art, juggling her course with the challenges of being a teen mom. She recalls standing in queues for hours at maintenance court, rushing to class, then to her job at a local store, then back home to look after her infant son.

'It taught me how resilient I was. When you're a mom but also still a child, it makes you grow up very quickly!" she shares. When her son, Jaedyn, was two years old, Laverne's life consisted of little more than college, work, home. One night, friends came over, determined to drag her out of the house. 'We went to a nightclub, and one of my friends introduced me to a guy called Don. He stuck to me like glue, and we just struck up one conversation after another.'