With about 20 years of experience in retail, no day is ever quite the same for the real MD of TFG Menswear – and she loves every bit of it.
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. If she’s feeling adventurous, she might 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 and I wore what I had, and I was like: ‘Okay, this looks nice. Thanks mom’ and that’s it. But the light went on in my 20s and I was like, ‘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.
Once we get started with the interview, she tells a colourful story. How does someone who started off with a degree in international relations and political science end up becoming a leader in the retail space? “My story is not that different from most South Africans my age. I grew up in a township called Mabopane in Pretoria, so I’m a Pretoria girl through and through,” says Thateng. “I went to school there, went to varsity there, and I had the good fortune after matric to spend a year as an exchange student in Canada – so when I was 17, I left home all on my own. I came back a year later to the UP to do my undergrad degree, then moved to Cape Town and have worked in retail since.”
She was raised to absolutely believe that she could be anything, she says with pride. “My initial plan for my career was to actually go into the diplomatic corps. I applied for a cadetship at what was then the department of foreign affairs, and I didn’t get it. I had also applied for a graduate training programme with the Clicks Group, and they accepted me, so I said: ‘There you go.” And the rest, is history.
Once she got into the retail space, she worked hard. So much so that she’s been steadily climbing the corporate ladder, and we get the feeling that she’s not done yet.
Thateng is a big believer in self-improvement. While growing her career, she hasn’t stopped studying. She did a general management programme from Harvard Business School and recently completed a post-graduate diploma in Future Studies with Stellenbosch Business School. “I choose to keep myself occupied with things that make sense to me. And self-improvement is one of the things that does.”
A love affair with retail
Thateng’s definitely got the right credentials. After starting out with The Clicks Group, she worked for Woolworths for 14 years. She then joined TFG as Head of Business for Exact.
“First and foremost, l’m a retailer and I love retail. I’ve worked across all divisions in apparel, including home and beauty, so it’s not my first rodeo in menswear. I am agnostic when it comes to divisions. You could redeploy me tomorrow and I would bring the same energy and passion because I love retail and the principles are universal.”
At the core of retail, in any sector, are people, she says. The challenges in the men’s division might be different to Exact, for example, but the principles remain the same.
“My job is to make sure that once a direction is set, and everyone is clear on the accountability (and I drive accountability quite hard) – then my job is to get out of the way and let people do what they must do. And I remove the obstacles for them.”
“That’s my job. I get involved where I need to, I ask lots of questions and then walk away and hold people accountable. You can’t hover around people, but you do need to be clear on what your expectations are. I’ve got a ‘get on with it’ style.”
One thing Thateng will do, is ask questions as part of the learning process, especially having worked in the menswear division for a little over a year.
“For me, it was seek to understand, ask questions, ask questions… I think the key to unlock in our business is to be closer to our customers all the time, and we need to respond quicker. Whether it is to fashion trends, sourcing trends, you have to be on the pulse. The reality is the trends are even faster than what we can get our heads around.”
Keep the trends coming
When it comes to the trends in the menswear division, right now, it’s all about oversized, she shares. And she can’t get enough of it. “Men are wearing oversized T-shirts, baggy jeans, loose-fit cargo. It’s fashion and we absolutely can’t get enough of it. It’s flying off the shelf. And it changes,” Says Thateng.
“Sometimes in retail we use the cheesy term that ‘the trend is your friend’ because it happens to be a trend that is really wearable and right now, the trend is our friend.
“The stuff that is out there is actually really commercial and I think once you get used to wearing an oversized T-shirt and you look good in it, you start wondering if you’ll go back to skinny tees.”
Knitwear is also a massive trend right now, she says. “Natural fibres also. It’s resonating with customers, and it talks to the point that our customers are on pulse. Just because it’s menswear doesn’t mean it must be slow.”
A lot of work, a lot of home
Besides being a kick-ass boss, Thateng is a mother of two. And that’s all she’s prepared to say on her private life. She’s so protective of her space that there’s barely any information on her online.
“It’s deliberate. I an exceptionally private person. I value my space, I value my privacy and I share appropriately. That pretty much sums up my personality.
“I’m a mom with two kids, l’m a wife, l’m a sister and daughter. And an active citizen who is deeply passionate about South Africa. And that’s all you are going to get,” she says with a smile.
She’s not a fan of the phrase ‘work-life balance, she reveals. “I think when you try so hard to strive for balance, you end up stressing yourself unnecessarily. I don’t care for that word as it puts more pressure on women to be perfect. I know what I need to do and how I need to do it to be at my optimal best – that’s it,” she says confidently. “I’m very good at saying no. I know what sustains me.”
She explains her family routine. “I take my kids to school in the morning, that’s non-negotiable. I’m home in the evenings for dinner, that’s another non-negotiable. I try to attend all the events, because that’s important to me. But after the kids have gone to bed, I open my laptop and I work. But it’s fine, because I love what I do. It’s not a chore.”
And it shows, in her career trajectory and her passion for the job.
Words by Thulani Gqirana
Photos: Zhann Solomons
