If there is one thing Ballito mother and business owner Lisa Yuille has learned from her many years in the fashion industry, it’s that the North Coast market is somewhat different to the rest of the country.
Fashion, many would say, is subjective. We choose what we like and what we feel comfortable wearing. Lisa believes keeping this in mind has helped contribute to the success of her popular boutique clothing shop, Lula, over the past eight years.
“The typical KZN shopper is not hugely fashion-conscious. They like to wear comfortable clothing that suits their lifestyle and we do our best to adapt the current trends to suit our customers.”
Originally from Pietermartizburg, Lisa started working at a printing company in Durban when she finished her travel management studies after school. It was here that she became fascinated with fabric and fashion. “I knew then that I wanted to work in the fashion industry.”
Lisa went on to work as a buyer overseas before getting married and starting her family. She has two daughters, Madison (18) and Morgan (15). On her return to South Africa she started working at Mr Price, where she spent the next 15 years.
“I worked as a buyer and merchandise manager both in homeware and clothing. I worked my way up in the company but decided to leave in 2010 when it started becoming a bit too corporate for me.” She had always wanted to own her own company and went into business with a friend. They worked together for a while but Lisa eventually bought her out and changed the name of the business to Lula. “My nickname when I was younger was Lulu. We changed it to Lula and it just stuck,” she laughs. That was eight years ago.
Lisa’s goal was always to offer something different to everyone else. She started outsourcing a lot of her merchandise, but eventually decided to open her own mini factory. Now she does almost everything herself, from designing to sourcing the fabric. She also stocks locally-made items in her two stores – one in the Glenore Centre in Glenashley and the other at The Well Centre in Ballito – such as handbags, accessories and cushions. Lisa also sells her items online and supplies stores in Johannesburg.
The general Lula shopper ranges from 30 to 60 years old, but Lisa also has a number of other ranges in the Lula collection, including Lulalicious (for plus size ladies), Little Lula (for babies), Lula Ltd (matric dance and evening wear) and Lula Label (for younger girls).
When we asked her about this season’s trends this is what she had to say, “we have to remember that we are not Europe and our local fashion doesn’t always go with what’s ‘on trend’ internationally. We are also different to a lot of the rest of the country, in terms of climate and style preferences. This summer I think we are going to see a lot of dresses – especially maxi dresses and full dresses. Leisure wear has become extremely popular with people going out less and working from home more. We sold a lot of pyjamas and leggings during lockdown,” she says.
“Frills and florals are still big, as is linenwear. Green is going to be a popular colour and I don’t think we’ll see a lot of pastels.”
Asked what her number one fashion tip for this season is, Lisa says, “step out of your comfort zone!”
Details: Lula Clothing Boutique, The Well, Ballito and Glenore Centre, Glenashley, www.lulaclothing.co.za, @lulaclothingboutique
