Stylist To The Stars 

South Africans were introduced to the trailblazing fashion icon Phupho Gumede Kardashian (yes, that’s what the “K” stands for) during the second season of The Real Housewives of Durban. 

It was in the second episode of this season that Phupho revealed his accolade of styling 21 magazine covers before he turned 21, including GQ South Africa and Glamour. Now, he’s styling for Reebok and Netflix outside of being an in-house stylist for Kwenta Media. 

A master of styling for reality TV, it was Phupho’s experience in entertainment that catapulted him to style the bright stars of the reality show Young, Famous & African. He’s also fully aware of how fabulous he is, telling Showmax that while he may be a stylist to the stars, he’s also “a full-time icon.”  

But his claim to fashionable success wasn’t always written in the stars. The 24-year-old tells Forbes Africa that he’s always been a bit of an overachiever and often received academic awards as a result. “That made me really gravitate towards a career in academia. It [wasn’t] until I was 11 years old, when the fashion bug bit,” he says.  

Dressed For Success 

Growing up in a traditional African household, it was expected of him to go to university, where he studied a Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.  

But this academic experience only made Phupho yearn for dressing up and styling clothes even more. So halfway through his second semester he deregistered, packed up and moved to Jozi without letting his family know. “I was ready to tackle a career in fashion,” he says. 

Other than being stylist to his older sister Ayanda Ncwane, a former star of The Real Housewives of Durban, he is also her special friend and confidante. Their conversations always seem filled with laughter and a healthy dose of gossip, as we’ve seen from his appearance on the show. 

He credits his sister and woman-headed home for influencing his love of the female form and for fashion. Phupho sees being a stylist as more than being a personal shopper or someone who brings style choices to the table, it’s being a bestie, too. 

Local is Most Definitely Lekker 

Phupho’s top looks from Young, Famous & African include Khanyi Mbau, Diamond Platnumz, Annie Macaulay-Idibia and Zari Hassan. But even though he’s styled dozens of celebs, he’s shining just as brightly with his travelling, events and photoshoots. At the tender age of 11 he started sketching his own designs, and by 13 he’d created a custom garment for his sister, which she wore to the South African Music Awards.  

He also styled Ayanda for the 2016 Crown Gospel Music Awards. Phupho believes that a stylist isn’t there to copy and paste their own ideas onto clients, but rather to work with each client’s style, taste and concerns.  

All his years of styling have clarified one thing: “Local style is best”. Not only does Phupho want to make a fashion icon out of every star of the show, he also wants to push style boundaries and give a global platform to local brands. Whether it’s faux feather fashion or sequins, Phupho is here to slay.   

BIO 

Born: Ndwedwe, KwaZulu-Natal 
Main influence: The women in his life: sister and mother 
Achievements: Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2022  

Words by Saadiqah Schroeder
Photography: Courtesy Images