Local fashion designer, Thabiso Dibeela of the House of ThabieD, is jetting off to Lagos, as the first Motswana ever to take part in the Africa Fashion Week Nigeria (AFWN) 2018 billed for September 15-16.

Speaking during a press briefing reccently, Dibeela said she committed herself to come full force to showcase her talent, creativity and portray Botswana’s culture through her designs at the fashion show, whose theme will be African Heritage Arise.

The Fashion Show provides a platform for upcoming and established designers to showcase creative designs portraying African heritage and culture through fashion, and Dibeela revealed that she

would use the opportunity to learn different marketing strategies that designers from other countries use so that she benchmarks from them.

“I will be showcasing among the crème- de-la-crème of the fashion industry in Africa who are very advanced.

Thispresentsanopportunity to gather necessary knowledge which I plan to impart with my fellow local designers in order to improve the fashion industry in Botswana and be globally competent,” she reiterated.

Dibeela also said fashion industry in Botswana had the potential create employment opportunities and contribute towards the economic development of the country, and it was through platforms such as Africa Fashion Week that

Botswana could achieve this. She believes that other countries have been able to do so because their fashion industries were advanced and able to make own materials needed in the production of clothing as opposed to importing. She said through skills training in fashion and knowledge exchange, Botswana could change the narrative and possibly become one of the best players in the

African fashion industry. Dibeela encouraged local

aspiring and renowned designers like to have a vision for what they want and to develop a spirit forperseveranceandhard-work.

“I did not just sit and wait to somehow be recognized and be invited to go and showcase my designs at the AFWN 2018. I took the initiative to find out

about this fashion then applied and fortunately I was accepted. So, opportunities do not come looking for you: rather, knock on the doors of opportunities and present yourself and never look back” she advised.

Dibeela’s love for fashion design dates back from when she wasstillyoung,wheresheused to design outfits for friends and family. The positive feedback she received from them was motivation enough for her to pursue a career in the field.

A mong her achievements, Dibeela took part in the establishment of the size standards for locally produced designs with Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS) and is also a curriculum quality auditor for fashion designers in higher educationlevels.BOPA