The thing about this fashionista and socialite is you really can’t miss her— she stands out with her flawless skin, impeccable sense of style and charismatic aura. I guess this is how you would feel in the presence of a queen but  snap out of it I told myself and remembered the reason I was here… a one- on- one with media magnet Ms Nare.

Born and raised in Harare, Nare is half Sotho and half Zimbabwean and she attended Alexandra Park Primary School where she was quite the sporty one, involved in a number of extra-curricular activities like hockey and athletics.  For high school, “her nine months out of a year gig” was at the Masvingo based Kyle College.

Not just a pretty face, the local style icon studied business management and media at Monash University in South Africa and at the varsity she was one of the two females who made up a 10-member Student Representative Council (SRC).  To top that off Nare was the first woman to ever hold the social coordinator position on campus.

The entrepreneur in her would tutor to earn some extra cash, money that she would invest in her wardrobe.  “I don’t drink or smoke so I often had extra cash and I would use that money to buy shoes, I guess that is around the time I really fell in love with shoes,” added the Addicted 2 Shoes owner. During our talk, I gathered that the shoe fetish must have been planted earlier in her life when her mother bought her a pair of shoes from Dubai for her seventh grade leavers’ dance.

Two hundred pairs (that was the 2011 count) of shoes later, Nare has translated her love for shoes into a successful business —Addicted 2 Shoes. The store stocks some of the most well-known brands in foot wear such as Nine West, Steve Madden and Zahara. We then strayed and talked about what every girl would want to know … how does one choose the right heel?

Style personified from head to toe.    AMEERA MURAD AMEER I ZIMBOJAM.COM

“The problem is that many women think that you should choose a heel according to weight and body types.  However the truth is it depends solely on the quality of the heel; a high quality and well designed heel is supposed to support all body types,” explained the shoe aficionada.

Her taste is influenced greatly by her extensive globetrotting from  London, Paris,  Hong Kong, USA, Nigeria,  India, Dubai or Macau,  not only does she have a innate sense of style but she imbibes fashion  trends  from  all over the  world.

I had a rare glimpse of the other side of Pokello which is often unseen by the public— the trendsetter values family and a quick visit to her Twitter page will affirm that. She is the mother of a 10-year old boy and has a solid relationship with her mother and sister.

Just the very mention of her family especially her son,  Nare’s face lights up and a huge smile beams across her face. “My son is really into sports, he loves soccer and I am always there cheering him on. I knew he was going to be sporty when he kicked his first ball when he was just two years old,” added the proud mom.  While she enjoys being a mom, what is also evident is that she has great admiration for her own mother who she says always has sound life and business advice.

Endorsement deals are literary being thrown at her, Nare recently signed a major deal with Victory Co and is the official face of the Ndeipi/Zviri Sei Sei t-shirt brand.  She also bagged a deal with Vault Cosmetics, the beauty line established by LA-based make up-artist, Jackie Mgido who has worked with celebrities such as John Legend, Ne-yo, Snoop Dog and Cuba Gooding Jr.

Likened to one of the most googled personalities  in the cyber sphere, Kim Kardashian, Nare was offered a  reality show deal that she turned down because she was uneasy with the idea of the public getting too familiar with her personal life.  She further explained, “What people do not know is that I am actually a reserved person and I do not always want to be accessible to people… there are some things that need to be private.”

Running a business, motherhood, endorsement deals and travel…how does she balance it all out? The Zimbabwean beauty’s answer was simple, “always make the time for the things you love.” I enjoyed my fun afternoon with this fashionable trailblazer,  so watch this space  because the  world has only begun being  addicted to Pokello.

Fast Facts about Pokello
1.    She did a bit of TV presenting in South Africa before she came back to Zimbabwe
2.    She is a pretty good cook and loves anything with pasta in it… oh and prawns too!
3.    She doesn’t gym and eats what she wants  when she wants.
4.    She has six pageant titles under her name
5.    She is a fan of  local designers  Maita Marimo, Joyce Chimanye and Danai Chapfika
6.    Her fashion icons include, British blogger, Soraya de Carvalho  (styleismything.blogspot.com),  pop singer,  Cassie  and yes, Kim Kardashian who she says has  good fashion choices.  Locally she is loving Ammara Brown and her edgy sense of style on stage.