K-One rekindles passion for leatherworks
Thato Kala | Friday July 25, 2014 14:14
The man popularly known as K-One displayed various leather accessories ranging from clothing, wallets and shoes during the art market at the end of May in Gaborone.
“This is what I do for my sustenance,” says the ex-BBA star.
The first time he touched a piece of leather was at the age of seven and he was helping his father.
The man who hails from Kanye rates his father highly in this trade and says he owes it all to him.
And now that his father’s business has collapsed, the gritty K-One is determined to revive it.
“He is my inspiration, my guide and the reason I want to bring it back to life,” he says. After years of working under his father’s tutelage, he went trading in 2003. “I was making cushions, rugs, wall hangings and mats,” he says, adding it was all handwork.
Not even his move to Monash University in South Africa where he studied Communication and International Relations could thin that passion.
In fact, he took it a notch higher and started making clothes like pants and jackets while still studying.
“When I went to Monash, I was still doing it part time. It was an extra something for myself to keep practicing the skill,”
He recalls the first fashion show in 2004 they put together with etv news reader, Mpho Kubayi.
“It was great, I was the only Monash student, we showcased with Woolworths, Lee Cooper and several other boutiques,” he says. He displayed his line Beads and Pieces and seemingly draws satisfaction from the way it all turned out.
The fashion show opened up avenues for business within the school as he started getting orders from fellow students especially for jackets.
K-One vividly remembers a pair of pants he made for Afro Jazz star, Shanti Lo. Shanti Lo himself is adept with fashion.
He explains: “Shanti Lo used to come to my workshop when he was still studying at the London International School of Fashion.
He would come on holidays and show me some fashion design skills, things like measurements and cutting skills.”
He also vividly remembers attending an African Ballad event with his then girlfriend, who was wearing a skirt he had made. At that event, radio personality Unathi saw the skirt and placed an order.
However, K-One says he never got to do that and hopes to do it for her one day.
While leather continued being an important part of his life, K-One also tried his hand in other art forms.
As Minister of Culture at university, he was part of a group that formed a debate team for Monash. He also put together traditional shows, fashion, food, musical and dance events.
And then there was a coffee house group was about poetry, slam, spoken word and the likes and took students on an artistic tour around Johannesburg.
After completing his studies in 2008, K-One came back home and searched for jobs for TV, radio and the creative industry, to no avail.
When all that failed he joined the government internship programme and worked for rural administration office in Kanye.
It was while working there that the Big Brother opportunity came.
His first dance with the reality show was in 2009 and he carried his designs with him.
Many will remember the traditional dance attires he had in the house and the mini-fashion showcases he put on.
“While in the house I used to use needle and thread to create images. I did a bit of leather,” he adds.
With all the fame that came with Big Brother, K-One admits he got a bit confused and ‘invested a lot of time in knowing the industry’.
“I was able to transfer from Kanye to RB2 as an intern,” he says.
In 2010, he was back in the house after which he quit radio.
“I still love it. I have passion for radio,” he says.
Again, after All Stars he feels he invested a lot of money in trying to grow himself as a brand. He says: “I did gigs, hosted former housemates in the country.”
Although he had so much on his plate, K-One says he felt like he was moving in circles and decided to focus on his leatherworks. That decision immediately paid off as he entered the Presidential competition in 2012 and his leather piece titled Mother Earth came second in the Visual Arts at national level.
He went on to make performance attires for K-Bos and Banjo Mosele, as well as wedding attires.
Perhaps one of the highlights of his leatherworks is a couch he did for Café Khwest. He is now working towards establishing a small manufacturing workshop and continues to get guidance from his old man.
K-One says: “He is the man so he is the master of leatherworks in Botswana. He is like a guru, super master general when it comes to leather.” He is keen on turning his artistry into a formal business.