He is responsible for dressing the who's who of South Africans business. He recently landed the role of head stylist reality show Young,Famous and African. He has dressed the likes of Siyanda Bani, Khanyi Mbau,Nadia Nakai,and Thuli Phongolo to name a few.
Fashion designer and stylist Phupho Gumede (23) is also the stylist behind gospel businesswoman and his sister Ayanda Ncwane, who has received international recognition for her fashion efforts on The Real Housewives of Durban recently.
He was only 11 years old when he started making design sketches, and by 13 years old, he designed Ayanda Ncwane's outfit for the South African Music Awards. This year, he attended the African Fashion (AFI) international at Diamond Walk in Sandton City and as usual, did not miss a beat.Phupho shares the inspiration behind his top four AFI looks with ZiMoja. "The idea of 3D makeup fascinates me,' he says. "I chose to use it in all my looks to pay homage to make-up artistry in fashion. We often celebrate designers and models and overlook the impact of make-up artistry in the fashion industry.

OPENING NIGHT: METALLIC

 Phupho's outfit was designed by Nkateko Hlongwane of Nkature, a fashion brand based in Hammanskraal. "This look was inspired by the futuristic and transformative power of makeup,' Phupho says. "I wanted to match the metallic outfit with the metallic makeup hence we build up the gold.'

DAY ONE: INSPIRED BY ALIENS

On the first night at African Fashion International, Phupho was dressed by Lendisi Creations ?" a Bespoke clothing brand for sassy women and his makeup was done by Boietlo Mokoena. "This look was inspired by ET, Extra-Terrestrial also referred to as alien life. This is almost the future of makeup and pushing boundaries,' he adds.

DAY TWO: BEAUTY IN THE MADNESS

 On the second night at AFI, the Ndwedwe, KwaZulu- born creative stretched the fashion boundaries even further in a pink outfit by fashion brand Ukara and make-up by Oratile Matau. "I love to work with known and unknown designers. This look represents, "The Beauty Behind the Madness,' he says. "The importance of remaining beautiful in a world that is constantly throwing craziness in your direction and even when things are not working out or coming together, you remain poised and calm,' he says.

LAST DAY: HIGH FASHION

On the closing night, Phupho opted for a black fitted suit."This was inspired by the Balenciaga by Demna era which is a lot of suits and less about frills and ruffles and calls for a slick and sexy,' he says. "The make-up idea was to give an illusion which is what the whole era of Balenciaga by Demna has been: An illusion of High Fashion.'