Ten years ago, the global beauty industry was booming. The global rise of influencer culture, tutorials, and product hauls was shaping an industry obsessed with perfection, but offering little space for something deeper. In the thick of it, Sekela Lisa Mgcotyelwa and Divya Vasant chose a different path. They didn’t want to sell beauty ideals. They wanted to build beauty that means something.
AMAZI was founded in 2015 with a mission to use beauty as a tool for economic inclusion, uplifting young women into employment through skills development and opportunities. Built on a hybrid model with a for-profit arm (AMAZI Beauty) and a non-profit training academy (AMAZI Academy) the brand has become an example of what sustainable impact looks like.
A Decade of Defying the Odds
From humble beginnings, AMAZI has spent the past decade turning purpose into power. “We opened our very first store in Maynard Mall in December 2015 with a ton of hope and not very much else,” reflects Divya Vasant, CEO at AMAZI. “We were located next to a fried chicken shop which wasn’t the ideal destination for a beauty brand, but we defied the odds and made it work.”
Over the years, their milestones have been hard-won and deeply personal. AMAZI’s decade-long journey is marked by meaningful turning points: the opening of its first Academy in 2018, surviving and pivoting through COVID-19, launching a self-manufactured skincare range made with African-sourced ingredients, and securing a game-changing retail partnership with Woolworths. Each achievement is a reflection of the brand’s unrelenting belief that beauty can, and should be, be a tool for transformation.
A Model Built on Purpose and Grit
The road to success wasn’t paved with instant wins. Divya recalls, “I invested all my savings into opening Maynard Mall and supporting the original group of women we trained into employment. I didn’t take a salary for the first three years to make sure every Rand was available to reinvest.”
Even as the brand grew, there were moments that tested their resolve. “We’ve walked away from big partnerships that didn’t respect our mission. We chose to grow slower and more intentionally, even when it felt harder.” The sacrifices have paid off in deeply meaningful ways. AMAZI now operates in over 30 locations, with every service performed by a woman who was once unemployed.
But beyond retail growth, one of their proudest achievements has been introducing healthcare benefits for every woman in the company. “We always dreamed of building a brand that doesn’t just create jobs but also removes the barriers that make it hard for women to keep them,” says Divya. “Access to healthcare is one of those barriers, and we’re proud to have made it part of our offering.”
The Power of Women Leading Women
At its heart, AMAZI is a brand built by women, for women. “When a young woman walks up to you after training and says, ‘One day I’ll be you,’ it’s a reminder of the power and responsibility that comes with representation,” Divya says. “You are the template for what unleashing your ambition and dreaming big looks like.”
At AMAZI, empathy is a daily practice. “We often draw on empathy either to place ourselves in the shoes of the young women we innovate employment solutions for or in the shoes of our customers, because we always want to stay focused on solving for a need.” But that doesn’t mean compromising on standards. “A common misconception about our leadership team is that we’re soft because we’re women,” Divya shares. “We’ve learned how to draw on both our feminine and masculine energy to lead with understanding, and with accountability. That balance is what shapes our culture.”
People, Purpose & Possibility
“When we started, success was about proving ourselves,” Divya reflects. “It was about growing, surviving the hard months, pushing forward no matter what.” Ten years in, success means something different to Lisa and Divya. “Now, success for me is less urgent,” says Divya, “It’s seeing a happy, aligned team that wins every day. It’s being content with where we are as a brand and being grateful for what we’ve built even with growth as a continued aspiration.”
Looking back, the shifts in the beauty and social impact space have only confirmed the importance of AMAZI’s hybrid model. What started with a dream has now grown into a national brand with real-world impact.
Looking to the future, AMAZI’s founders remain steadfast in their mission to leave every life they touch better than they found it. Whether it’s a customer seeking self-care or a young woman walking into the Academy for the first time, AMAZI is there to meet her with empathy, excellence, and empowerment.