She Is the Honey: Pinky Glover’s Bold Leap from Corporate to Couture

Embarking on a journey in the fashion industry is an ambitious endeavor that requires creativity, business acumen, and relentless passion.

Beyond technical skills and creative vision, the foundation of building a thriving fashion brand rests upon you, especially your character traits.

As a creative entrepreneur, you’ll embark on a unique journey, weaving together your artistic vision with your business savvy. It’s a delicate dance, a perfect balance between the right and left brains, where your creativity meets your strategic thinking.

For starters, it’s important to understand that building a successful fashion brand demands a diverse array of traits, including resilience, adaptability, business insight, visionary leadership, and curiosity.

Fashion label, HoneyChildStyle, founder Pinky Glover believes that to make it in this industry, one needs support, especially from family.

HoneyChildStyle is a unisex, trans-seasonal, and transitional loungewear brand designed for comfort, confidence, and everyday style. They focus on high-quality pieces like t-shirts and tracksuits, while also introducing seasonal items such as dresses, sleepwear, suits, and lounge sets. Their sizing is intentionally inclusive, with some pieces going up to 4XL. The store is located at Serendipity Complex in Mbabane. 

Glover needs no introduction in this field. Her love for fashion started when she was just a toddler. We’ve seen her gracing several festivals and events, always looking like the queen she is.

“A strong support system has made a huge difference, from family to mentors to peers. I’ve also leaned heavily on the relationships I built during my corporate career. Having people to advise and support you in moments of uncertainty is priceless. My experience in the corporate world instilled in me a solid work ethic and deep appreciation for customer service, which I carry into everything we do at HoneyChildStyle,” she says.

Back to her love for fashion, Pinky recalls one of her earliest memories: making a fur coat for her cousin’s Barbie doll using the lining from a car seat cover. She would spend hours sewing outfits for that Barbie.

“It was my first taste of creativity and self-expression. I believe the spark was inherited from my grandmother, who was a gifted seamstress. Her sewing room was her happy place, and watching her create left a lasting impression on me. After completing my law degree, I finally followed my heart and enrolled at the London International School of Fashion. Although I didn’t complete the course, my love for fashion never wavered, and today, that passion lives on through HoneyChildStyle.”

“l always knew l wanted to be a designer, while my family encouraged me to pursue a more ‘practical’ degree – hence the law degree, but I remained passionate about fashion. When I came into a small inheritance, I used it to study fashion.”

The name HoneyChildSty’e was inspired by her circle of girlfriends. “We used to affectionately call each other ‘honeychild.’ That term came to represent sisterhood, style, and confidence—all things I wanted the brand to embody. Today, as the brand has grown to include menswear, we often use the abbreviation HCS.”

A: What are your brand’s biggest strengths? What has made you stand out from the crowd?
P: Our greatest strength is our authenticity. HoneyChildStyle is deeply rooted in community, empowerment, and timeless design. We’re intentional about inclusivity from our sizing to our collaborations and our ability to merge comfort with fashion-forward pieces gives us an edge. Our events, like The Hive Market, allow us to uplift other female entrepreneurs, which builds brand loyalty beyond the clothing.

A: The fashion industry is known for being fickle and fast-moving. What are some of the biggest challenges you face as a fashion business owner?
P: One of our biggest challenges is manufacturing. Many local manufacturers in Eswatini are hesitant to work with small or emerging brands, which forces us to source production internationally. This means additional expenses for customs, VAT, and shipping, all of which drive up our costs and impact our pricing.

It also makes it harder to compete with larger retailers like Woolworths and Truworths, who benefit from economies of scale. Our reliance on manufacturers in countries like South Africa, China, and Turkey limits our flexibility and slows down turnaround times.

Local production is both our greatest hurdle and an area where we see potential. We’re actively working to build partnerships with reliable suppliers in hopes of eventually manufacturing locally. Not only would this reduce costs and increase efficiency, but it would also allow us to create jobs and support the local economy.

Taking that leap of faith was scary, but it was the beginning of everything.

A: How do you define success for your brand?
P: To me, success is building a brand that thrives commercially but also makes a difference. HoneyChildStyle is not just a fashion label; it’s a movement. A recent example is our Women’s Month campaign, where we are launching a limited-edition t-shirt that promotes female empowerment. A portion of the proceeds will support a local women’s advocacy organization, which we’ll reveal in due course. That, to me, is the kind of success that matters, style with purpose.

A: Looking back at your journey, what has been the most defining moment(s)?
P: Quitting my job to pursue HoneyChildStyle full-time was the most empowering moment of my life. For years, the business was a side hustle, and naturally, it never truly flourished because I wasn’t giving it the attention it deserved. Taking that leap of faith was scary, but it was the beginning of everything. I’ve never looked back. Now, as we prepare to launch our special edition t-shirt campaign this August, I’m reminded of why I chose this path: to create fashion that uplifts, inspires, and leaves a mark.

A: Can you tell us more about the upcoming campaign?
P: This August, Honeychild Style is launching a heartfelt Women’s Month campaign titled “She is the Honey”, a celebration of the softness, strength, and resilience that women bring into our lives. At the heart of the campaign is a limited-edition t-shirt honoring the many ways women nurture, lead, and uplift. A portion of the proceeds from each shirt sold will go to The Brave Girl Initiative, a local organization empowering young girls in Eswatini.

But this campaign is about more than fashion, it’s about storytelling and community. We’ll be spotlighting real women from our community, alongside influencers, who will share what makes them “the honey”: their quiet strength, grace, and ability to inspire others.

Importantly, She is the Honey also invites men to take part. Whether by purchasing a shirt or sharing stories of the women who inspire them, mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, and friends, we’re calling on the men of eSwatini to help us honour the women who deserve to be seen, heard, and celebrated.

A: What inspired you and your team to venture into this campaign?
P: For me, this campaign is deeply personal. HoneyChild Style has always been about more than fashion; it’s about creating a space where women feel seen, celebrated, and supported. I was raised by strong, graceful women like my grandmother, a seamstress and entrepreneur who shaped our family with quiet strength.

Their legacy inspired me to honour the women who came before us while making space for the women we’re becoming. Partnering with The Brave Girl Initiative felt like a natural fit, they’re doing powerful work to uplift the next generation. This campaign is our way of celebrating the past, supporting the present, and investing in the future of women.

A: Where do you see your brand in the next 5 years?
P: In five years, I see HoneyChildStyle becoming a recognized African fashion brand. We plan to expand beyond eSwatini, with physical stores in key cities across the continent, grow our e-commerce platforms for global accessibility, and collaborate with African designers to create limited-edition capsule collections. Through fashion, we also want to continue playing a meaningful role in social impact with initiatives like our upcoming campaign, celebrating, supporting, and uplifting the women in our community.

A: What advice would you give to someone looking to follow in your footsteps and start a fashion business?
P: Fall in love with both the creativity and the business side of fashion. Designing beautiful clothes is just one part, you need to understand your customer, how to reach them, and how to turn your ideas into a sustainable brand. Set clear goals, plan strategically, and stay committed, even when challenges come. In fashion, success is as much about resilience as it is about talent.

Thank you for your time, Miss Glover.
It’s been a pleasure! Thank you for having me!