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There’s no shortage of inspiring women to celebrate this Women’s Month. This year, I found myself wanting to look beyond the familiar names. I cast my lens on the women closer to home – the ones who seldom get the spotlight despite building businesses, creating opportunities and making a living from their skills, ideas and passions. One name that stood out was Sphelele Nozipho Chikowi, better known as Lele, the founder of Soweto-born fashion and lifestyle brand Ntozinhle Lifestyle.
Based in Orlando West, Ntozinhle spans fashion, accessories, beadwork and homeware with South African culture and tradition woven into its design. Translating to “beautiful things” in isiZulu, Ntozinhle is a fitting name for the handmade brand, which has been creating intricate designs since 2012. What stood out to me wasn’t simply what Ntozinhle sells but how the business was conceived, and the women whose work has shaped its story along the way.
The hands behind the beads
The pieces may be what catches your eye, but for Women’s Month, it’s the people behind them who make the brand worth a closer look.
Ntozinhle’s beadwork is made by around 50 women from KwaNdebele, while young leather artisans from Vosloorus also contribute to the brand’s work. The intricate designs don’t come together overnight; a feature on the website details how some pieces take days to complete.
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Every finished piece represents someone’s time, skill and livelihood. In a 2024 online interview, Lele spoke about building a legacy centred on empowerment and supporting the women working with Ntozinhle.
Ultimately, this is a story about a woman who built a business, but also about the women whose skills have become part of its success, and about a brand that gives a platform to a craft passed down through generations.
The story behind Soweto’s Ntozinhle Lifestyle
Ntozinhle may be the brand Lele is known for today, but her entrepreneurial journey started much earlier. Ntozinhle’s official biography traces the founder’s entrepreneurial journey back to a hair salon, with clothing, beadwork and costume jewellery developing alongside it.
Then came an accident that left her paralysed, altering the course of her journey. After a lengthy rehabilitation, Lele returned to entrepreneurship, this time leaning into her interest in beadwork.
The brand’s early days were much more modest than the retail experience it offers today. She took Ntozinhle on the road, selling at pop-ups around South Africa and gradually growing it into a profitable business.
It was during a trip to Kenya, where she saw Maasai beadwork, that she began thinking differently about the possibilities of African beadwork in contemporary fashion. That thinking still shapes Ntozinhle today. The brand has diversified its offerings, but the designs still draw inspiration from Zulu, Ndebele, Xhosa and Venda designs.
A brand with Soweto roots
Ntozinhle has grown beyond its beginnings, but Soweto remains home. The brand’s store at 7323 Phiri Street in Orlando West brings its contemporary African design back to the community that shaped its story.
That local connection matters. For Ntozinhle, African heritage isn’t just a look – it’s reflected in the people, places and craft behind the brand.
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