In HER SHOES

With about 20 years of experience in retail, no day is every quite the same for Thateng Shimange, the real MD of TFG Menswear - and she loves every bit of it.

- THULANI GQIRANA

If there's one thing about Thateng Shimange, she 'gets on with it'. From the time we start setting up the interview, to the shoot details and the interview itself, she moves at such a fast pace because time is money in her business - literally. As the managing director of the Menswear division for The Foschini Group, she's got quite a big job. And she loves every single part of it.

Ask her to describe what she does, and she modestly says: “I’m the custodian of Menswear at TFG, which means taking care of the strategic direction of the division and - most importantly - the deliverables. Strategy is one thing, execution is another. That’s my ultimate responsibility, but it entails many things including people leadership. It’s quite multifaceted.”

And so is she.

In short, she’s the boss and loves every part of the retail sector. She walks into the interview wearing all black with a leopard print scarf to add a bit of personality. And it’s all clear in her office as well. Thateng hardly ever wears colour, she tells us. She’s all about black or neutrals. And only if she’s feeling adventurous does she add a splash of pink - but it really has to be a special occasion.

“Fashion was never a thing for me,” she says as she thinks back to her start. “I was so purposed on school. I wore what I had and I was like: ‘Ok, this looks nice. Thanks mom’ and that’s it. But the light went on in my 20s and I was like ‘Ok, I’ve got this’. I don’t do colour, black is my thing, leopard print is my thing and I like clean lines. You won’t catch me in a frill.” But what did she wear for her wedding? “Ok, it was frill but that was the last frilly thing I bought,” she says with a laugh.