July finds niche in bridal, pageantry garments
Spira Tlhankane | Friday May 21, 2021 14:11
“My inspiration has always been high fashion couture because I am a fairy-tale girl, I love dressing up in breathtaking dresses and I believe a perfect dress ignites the beauty in every woman. This is where the ‘Butterfly’ name came from, believing every woman is uniquely beautiful,” she told Arts & Culture. The talented woman from Molepolole added that she believes every creative craft is uniquely different; “we all craft differently and we polish and finish uniquely in all our different ways.”
The fashion designer who is also a procurement specialist with 16 years of work experience recalls how she had always been passionate about making her own clothing. July has always been happier doing anything that allowed her to express her creativeness. She said people would show interest in the things she made for herself. The fashion industry is very competitive and difficult to break into but in 2017 July decided to take a bold step.
She indicated that she grew to refine her craft from a profit-making hobby to turn it into a fully-fledged business.
July, who has now gained valuable industry insight, revealed that her biggest highlight has been dressing Miss Botswana 2019/2020 Fafah Phirinyane. “I especially love the orange feather detailed dress I made for her when she attended the Miss World Rwanda coronation in 2020,” she proudly said.
July added that COVID-19 has affected Butterfly Couture business as much as it has every other business. “Restrictions on events mean very little work for us because there are no events for people to dress up for. I’ve had to let go of my team and that has been very sad. We are barely getting by but giving up has not been an option. It definitely is a very difficult time for any business,” she said.