Built By Women

Zydia Botes of Something Good Studio

After years working in the fast-paced fashion industry, Zydia Botes found herself craving something slower. That desire became Something Good Studio, a collaborative design practice built around craftsmanship, meaningful partnerships and beautifully made objects. Alongside Romaria Knitwear, the luxury knitwear label she co-founded with designer Carla Pinto, Botes now brings that philosophy to Nine Yards, where art, textiles and fashion meet.

What inspired you to leave the traditional fashion supply chain and create Something Good Studio?

Fashion taught me how products are made. Something Good Studio taught me that textiles could be a canvas for something much bigger. Somewhere along the way, I realised I was less interested in designing for seasons and more interested in creating meaningful collections that connect art, design and everyday life. We believe beautiful work begins with curiosity, not certainty, and that thoughtfully designed objects can make ordinary life feel a little more meaningful.

What has entrepreneurship taught you about yourself?

It’s taught me to trust myself in public. Confidence isn’t having all the answers. It’s making the next decision before you feel completely ready, learning from it, and making another one.

Creative industries often involve uncertainty and risk. What has helped you persevere?

Curiosity and partnership. Every season teaches me something new. I’ve stopped measuring success by the finished piece alone. The conversations, collaborations and experiments that don’t quite work often become the most meaningful part of the journey. Resilience isn’t about certainty. It’s about staying curious enough to take the next step.

What does celebrating women in business mean to you?

Working on our Shero Cloak completely shifted my understanding of what celebrating women actually means. We’re an all-women team, and we set out to create a modern superhero cape. But what stayed with me wasn’t the garment. It was watching women put it on. Their posture changed. Their confidence changed. Some laughed, some cried, and I realised how transformative it is when women encourage one another to step into their own story with a little more courage, to step into their power.

The biggest surprise was that I needed the same reminder. I think celebrating women in business is less about telling each other we’re unstoppable, and more about helping each other truly believe it.

somethinggoodstudio.com

Robyn Keyser of Artclub and Friends

For Robyn Keyser, fashion has always been about more than clothing. Since founding Artclub and Friends in 2016, she has built a brand where artists, makers and storytellers are as central to the garments as the fabrics themselves. Now bringing that philosophy to Nine Yards, Keyser continues to champion slow fashion, conscious craftsmanship and creative collaboration.

What was the biggest challenge in turning a creative idea into a sustainable business?

Learning that loving what you make is not the same as knowing how to build a business around it. I started with no formal training, so I was learning to run a company while already running one. And the lesson that changed everything was a hard one.

The turning point was being brave enough to look closely at what was working and what we were holding on to out of sentiment. It meant letting go of places we had been so proud to be in. I think so many creative founders get stuck right there, not for lack of ideas but because that honest look feels like betraying the dream. It is the opposite; it’s what lets the dream survive.

Why was Nine Yards the right place for Artclub and Friends’ Johannesburg store?

We were not looking for a location, we were looking for a home.

Artclub is Cape Town-based, but Johannesburg raised me. Opening our first standalone store in my hometown has moved me more than I expected. There is something quite overwhelming about bringing it back to the city that made you the thing you went away and built. It helped that Nine Yards did with buildings what we try to do with clothing. They restored 13 old structures instead of flattening them.

And the neighbours make our case for us — makers, independent businesses, the Goodman Gallery across the road. Someone can buy vegetables, look at art, and walk out wearing a young South African artist’s work in one morning. That is what we have been arguing for years, finally built into the ground.

What does collaboration with artists add to the clothing beyond aesthetics?

It puts a name and a person behind the work, which is the whole reason we exist. We were built by artists, for artists, and creating real paying platforms for young South African creatives has always been the point, so collaboration is not a seasonal design choice. It is the business. Artists are credited, artists are paid, and their work reaches people who might never walk into a gallery.

What challenges have you faced as a woman building a fashion business?

Being a woman in business has unlocked far more than it has cost me. The challenge people expect me to name is being underestimated and it does happen. But the shift I am living right now is the one that has changed me most. I am preparing to become a mother while running this business, and I expected it to feel like something being taken from me. It has been the opposite. Knowing my time is about to become truly finite has made me clearer than I have ever been about what matters.

Women carry so much alongside what they build. I have stopped seeing that as something to work around. It is exactly where the strength comes from.

https://artclubandfriends.com/

Vicky Ross of & by Andticks

Vicky Ross has spent much of her career creating spaces for other people’s ideas to flourish. From shaping Johannesburg’s independent retail landscape to championing local makers and creative businesses, her work has long centred on community and curation. With & by Andticks at Nine Yards, she’s created perhaps her most personal project yet: a thoughtfully curated space that brings together design, craftsmanship and storytelling under one roof.

What have been some of the biggest lessons you have learnt from building businesses in Johannesburg’s creative sector?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt is that creativity and commercial thinking aren’t at odds with one another. In fact, they need each other. I’ve seen incredibly talented creatives almost wear their lack of financial or operational focus as a badge of honour, as though business somehow compromises the creative process.

My experience has been the opposite. No one produces their best work when they’re worrying about cash flow, unpaid invoices or simply keeping the lights on. For me, getting the basics right is essential. Strong systems, good financial planning and clear processes don’t take away from creativity. They create the stability that allows it to flourish.

What qualities do you think women often bring to entrepreneurship that are overlooked?

Relationship building. Whether it’s with customers, suppliers or the people you work alongside every day, I think women often have a natural ability to build trust and create a sense of connection. I’ve found that some of the best opportunities in my career have come through long-term relationships rather than transactions. The same is true within a team. Creating an environment where people feel valued, listened to and part of something bigger is just as important as having a good business idea.

What advice would you give young women who want to build businesses in creative industries?

First, learn the fundamentals of business. Understand your finances, put good operational structures in place and know your cash flow. Then, where you can, surround yourself with people who complement your skills so you can focus on what you do best.

The second piece of advice is one I’ve had to learn myself. Don’t let limiting beliefs about what is or isn’t commercial hold you back. Creativity and commercial success aren’t mutually exclusive. You don’t have to choose between building something meaningful and building a successful business. The two can, and should, exist together.

Many women are expected to balance ambition with responsibility. How have you navigated that throughout your career?

It’s something I’ve definitely battled with and I know I’m not alone in that. My path has been a little different to many women, but I’ve still found myself questioning how much space I should take up. There have been times when I’ve stepped back from opportunities, played things down, or overworked to keep the peace rather than fully backing myself.

As I’ve got older, I’ve realised that ambition doesn’t have to come at the expense of kindness or collaboration. It’s possible to be ambitious, support other people and build meaningful relationships without making yourself smaller in the process.

andticks.co.za

Liziwe Ntuli of The Well

In a fast-paced city where wellness is seldom easy to find, The Well at Nine Yards is the haven where Johannesburg comes to slow down. Created by three co-founders — Aspasia Karras, Dr Niki Judelman and Liziwe Ntuli — this female-owned business is redefining what modern wellbeing means. As an expert in change management and corporate wellbeing, Ntuli believes that wellness shouldn’t be an emergency solution for burnout but a constant source of replenishment to draw from for a better life.

What inspired the creation of The Well and the concept of urban wellbeing?

The Well was born from a simple observation that we spend our days rushing from meeting to meeting, constantly connected yet often disconnected from ourselves and one another. Having spent many years working in corporate, I saw first-hand that burnout wasn’t simply the result of people doing too much. It was often the result of environments that never allowed people to recover. The Well was created as a response to that: an urban sanctuary where movement, recovery, science, ancient wisdom and genuine human connection come together to help restore. Our philosophy — ‘Urban Wellbeing. Done Well.’ — reflects the belief that wellbeing shouldn’t be something reserved for holidays or retreats. It should be accessible in the rhythm of everyday city life.

Why did Nine Yards feel like the perfect home for The Well?

Nine Yards felt right to my partners and me because it already represented community, creativity and connection. It wasn’t just another commercial development; it was a place where people naturally gather. The Well complements that vision beautifully. Someone can arrive for a meeting, stay for yoga, recover in the sauna, have a healthy meal, work remotely, shop local produce, or simply pause between life’s demands. Nine Yards allows us to make wellbeing part of people’s normal routine.

What practical shifts can women make to support their wellbeing while balancing the pressures of modern life?

We need to stop thinking about wellbeing as another task to complete. Small, consistent practices are far more powerful than occasional grand gestures. I encourage women to focus on three daily habits: protect moments of recovery as deliberately as meetings; move your body in ways that feel sustainable rather than punishing; and build communities that allow you to ask for help and receive support.

We also need to redefine success. You cannot sustainably pour from an empty cup — and investing in your wellbeing isn’t selfish. It enables you to show up more fully in every area of life.

What qualities do you think women often bring to entrepreneurship that are overlooked?

Women often excel at creating businesses that are deeply human. We naturally think about relationships, long-term trust, collaboration and community, rather than simply transactions. Many women also have an extraordinary ability to hold complexity. We’re constantly balancing competing priorities, adapting quickly, and solving problems creatively. These qualities may not always receive the same attention as aggressive growth metrics but they often build stronger, more resilient businesses over time.

What does celebrating women in business mean to you?

For me, celebrating women in business is about recognising the courage it takes to turn an idea into something that serves others. It’s about celebrating women who create opportunities, challenge old ways of thinking and build businesses that make communities stronger. It’s also about recognising that success isn’t a competition. Every woman who succeeds creates possibility for another woman to believe she can too.

thewell.africa