09 Aug 2022

Botswana fashion designers showcased their signature collections alongside their South African and Senegal counterparts in celebration of the long standing bilateral relations of South Africa and Botswana recently.

Botswana fashion trendsetters Black Trash, KefSeddy, Botocy, KaylaAmiel Creations, nguo among other local designers, SA’s Fabro Sanz and Mamadou from Senegal displayed colourful designs at the Three Dikgosi Monument.   

Except for Botho Chalebgwa of Botocy and Tumie Mohoasa of nguo, who used linen,  the German print or Leteise material dominated most of the local designers’ creations, whose designs stole the hearts of many.  

However, local designers were advised to incorporate other African prints and materials in order to thrive.

“The local designers here are incredibly talented, but they need to change their style and mix different materials from Africa,” said Senegalese and internationally acclaimed designer  Mamadou.

Mmadou, known for African flavour and sheer fashion collection said designers needed not to comcentrate on leteise only.

He expressed excitement towards his first visit to Botswana,  saying he would be engaging with the High Commissioners of South Africa and Botswana to see how best they could assist through workshops to empower local fashion designers.

Lesedi Matlapeng of KefSeddy applauded the organisers of the fashion show, saying it was a milestone for the fashion industry in Botswana, considering that it attracted the ‘right people’.

“This fashion show is different as they invited buyers, and as designers we showcased our best,” Matlapeng said.

Concerning the past fashion shows, Matlapeng said the organisation of such events seemed more of entertainment than attraction of fashion patrons.  

She concurred with Mamadou that it was important to incorporate other African textiles with leteise to boost creativity.

Despite leteise being recognised as traditional Setswana signature, she said there was need to make it colourful by merging it with other African textiles.

Tipping the newbies in the fashion scene, Seneo Moji of KaylaAmiel Creations implored them to be open to networking and collaborations.  

She said with art one grew  every day and as designers they needed to consistently learn from others.

Botswana’s international export and award winning fashion designer, who continues to showcase her collections all over the world, encouraged young designers to network when among international designers.

“Botswana should not be your only market, knock on doors and establish your network and be open to learning new things from the best,” Moji said.

She said her craft was forever evolving because she always engaged in conversations with the best in the world whenever she visited other countries.

Moji said she had reached a plateau on showcasing in Botswana, and she always got involved in conversations that would empower and assist her in producing the next impeccable collection.

She said each designers needed to have a signature piece, which made them as designers to be proud of.

“International fashion shows always expect colour from African designers, simply because of our colourful textiles and prints,” she said, adding that most of the international big brands came to Africa to benchmark and incorporated African prints and textiles with their high-end materials.

In an interview, South Africa High Commissioner Thaninga Shophe-Soumah said Botswana fashion designers were capable of growing and making it in the fashion industry.

“They need to be intentionally aggressive with their craft and express confidence,” Shophe-Soumah stated.

She further noted that the South Africa/Botswana fashion show would be an annual activity, which would also include other African countries.

The commissioner said they would be looking into conducting workshops and master classes.

 “We will be using designers from the continent,” Shophe-Soumah said.

She said the intention was to move it from just being a fashion parade to an implementation of workshop trainings, where designers could learn from one another and exchange ideas.

Familiar with Botswana fashion space, Shophe-Soumah encouraged designers to look into opportunities outside Botswana.

For her part, Botswana High Commissioner to South Africa, Tshenolo Modise encouraged Batswana designers to learn and appreciate collaborations of styles from various African countries. 

“Designers can cooperate, integrate and coordinate their styles from other parts of Africa,” Modise said.  ENDS