Beginning Again

 

 

BAWSS Foundation founder, entrepreneur and Digital creator Anele Shabangu has entered the luxury lifestyle market with the launch of The BAWSS Cellar, a sparkling wine brand.

She described it as a celebration of femininity, confidence, elegance, and modern Swati luxury.

While many know Shabangu through the BAWSS Foundation and its work supporting young girls through sanitary pad donation drives and empowerment initiatives.

She says the BAWSS Cellar represents another side of the same mission, creating spaces where women feel seen, valued, and confident enough to celebrate themselves openly.

Speaking about the inspiration behind the launch, Shabangu said the decision to finally bring the brand to life came after years of postponing her own dreams while constantly pouring into others.

“There wasn’t one specific moment it was a series of moments where I realized I was constantly pouring into others while postponing my own dreams,” she said.

She explained that The BAWSS Cellar was created from faith, vision, and the desire to create something meaningful that reflects celebration, elegance, and possibility, adding that the brand also represents a woman choosing herself, trusting her vision, and giving herself permission to take up space unapologetically.

 

The launch introduces Shabangu into Eswatini’s growing lifestyle and luxury space, but she says the vision behind the brand extends beyond aesthetics and social experiences.

 According to Shabangu, entrepreneurship and empowerment have always been connected in her journey because business creates opportunities for sustainability, impact, and changing narratives around what women can achieve.

 “For me, the two are connected. Entrepreneurship gives us the ability to create opportunities, build sustainable impact, and change narratives,” she said.

 She said while the BAWSS Foundation was established from a place of compassion and understanding the realities faced by many young girls, The BAWSS Cellar was built from aspiration, visibility, and the belief that women also deserve beautiful experiences.

“The BAWSS Foundation was created from a place of compassion and understanding the realities many young girls face. The BAWSS Cellar comes from a place of aspiration, celebration, and showing women that they deserve beautiful experiences too,” she said.

 When explaining further she said, both brands are rooted in empowerment just expressed differently.

One speaks to dignity and support, while the other speaks to confidence, lifestyle, and visibility. Together, they represent the fullness of womanhood.

Shabangu also described the launch as deeply personal, saying the early stages of the brand have intentionally remained hands-on and intimate while the experience continues to develop.

“Even in this early phase, where we are personally hand-delivering some of our first bottles while perfecting the brand experience, it feels intentional and intimate,” she said.

Meanwhile, at the centre of the brand is the idea of ‘soft living’ a phrase that has become increasingly popular among young women online and within lifestyle culture.

However, Shabangu said her interpretation of soft living has nothing to do with avoiding hard work or responsibility.

“Soft living, for me, is not about avoiding hard work because building a brand requires discipline, sacrifice, and resilience,” she said.

Shabnagu explained soft living is about allowing yourself to experience beauty, rest, joy, confidence, and peace while still chasing dreams.

She said many Swati women are raised to quietly carry pressure, responsibility, and survival without giving themselves permission to enjoy the softer parts of life.

“As a Swati woman, I think we are often taught to survive quietly and carry everything on our shoulders,” she said.

“I want women to know that they are also allowed to enjoy life, celebrate milestones, embrace luxury without guilt, and exist beautifully without constantly explaining themselves,” she said in addition.

Shabangu said creating a luxury brand that still feels connected to ordinary Emaswati consumers was one of the most important parts of building The BAWSS Cellar.

Rather than creating something distant or overly exclusive, she wanted the brand to feel aspirational while still relatable to the local market.

“I wanted The BAWSS Cellar to feel premium and aspirational while still being accessible to Emaswati consumers,” she said.

She added that maintaining the Swati identity within the brand was intentional from the beginning and she did not want it to feel disconnected from its roots.

“I did not want it to feel like a brand pretending to be international while forgetting where it comes from,” she said.

Worth noting, the elegance of the brand comes from confidence, storytelling, presentation, and intentionality but the heart of it remains proudly African and proudly Swati.

According to Shabangu, The BAWSS Cellar was created to reflect women who are ambitious, sophisticated, and deserving of luxury without needing external validation.

“I want women to look at the brand and see themselves reflected in it. Beautiful, ambitious, sophisticated, and deserving,” she said.

Beyond the lifestyle aspect of the business, Shabangu said she hopes the brand contributes to the local economy and opens opportunities for collaboration, partnerships, youth empowerment, and community impact initiatives linked to the BAWSS Foundation.

 “Beyond the product itself, I want the brand to create opportunities through partnerships, collaborations, local talent, youth empowerment, and community impact through the BAWSS Foundation,” she said.

She also described The BAWSS Cellar as more than just sparkling wine, saying it was intentionally curated as an experience rather than simply a product.

“The BAWSS Cellar is more than just sparkling wine it is a celebration of femininity, confidence, elegance, and modern Swati luxury,” she said.

For young women who may be afraid to pursue their ideas or businesses because of fear and self-doubt, Shabangu encouraged them to begin before they feel fully ready.

“I would tell her that fear is normal, but it should never be louder than her vision,” she said.

She added that many people spend years waiting to feel fully prepared before taking action, yet confidence is often built during the process itself.

“Sometimes the biggest difference between people who succeed and those who don’t is simply the courage to begin,” she said.

Shabangu joins a growing number of entrepreneurs and public figures building premium alcohol and wine brands connected to the Eswatini market.

Among them is Lungile Dube-Motsa, founder of The Wine Boutique at Mantenga Craft & Lifestyle Centre in the Ezulwini Valley, which has developed exclusive signature wines while helping expand Eswatini’s premium wine and champagne culture through events such as the Eswatini Wine Soirée.

She also joins Zamaswazi Luswazi, a mechanical engineer turned first-generation wine owner who developed her passion for wine while living in France’s Val de Loire region, as well as South African actor and entrepreneur Thapelo Mokoena, who expanded his premium Nero Wine brand into Eswatini through local distribution and tasting experiences.

Meanwhile The BAWSS Cellar range includes cans retailing at E45, Brut and Rosé bottles priced at E180, while Nectar Rosé and White Nectar retail at E250.

To know more and order reach out to the BAWWS Cellar here: https://www.instagram.com/thebawsscellar?igsh=MW1zbmJoZHZmbzlvMg==