Thia

Thia is a Management Accounting student with unusual style. Dressed from top to toe in second hand vintage, Thia finds shopping on a budget and buying at a bargain a thrill. "My boots are from a Chinese shop; my dress and belt are from a second hand shop, and I saved my bag from the rubbish heap. My boyfriend thinks I dress like an ouma (Afrikaans for "granny"), but I don't care. I love what I wear."



"'Something vintage, something new' is my motto. I remember standing in a crowd waiting to enter the lecture hall one day, and hearing a girl say, Kyk haar rokkie! Dis mooi! (Look at her dress! It's pretty!). Her friend answered, Ja, maar ek sal nooit so 'n rokkie dra nie! (Yes, but I would never wear a dress like that!) Is Thia hurt by comments like that? "No way!"



"I love this mini-watch. I bought it at a steal at a Chinese shop. What matters to me is not the price of what I buy, but what it means to me."



"A lot of people ask me whether I study art. I hate this! The minute you dress a little bit creatively, people think you study art!" Thia is right. Why can't accountants be creative? Why do these categories even exist? It's time to break free from restrictions and just express oneself.