Hope beckons for fashion designers
Spira Tlhankane | Wednesday February 17, 2016 18:00
Olopeng told the designers that his ministry intends to meet local retail stores owners to find a way to sell local products in their stores. “Before we can approach the stakeholders, we need to know what you want us to tell them. We need to come up with the best ways to market our products and meet the required standards. We need to ask them how they are going to support our fashion shows and models,” he told the designers.
Olopeng said the objective is to see local products getting into well-known retail shops both locally and outside. “We would like to see our merchandise in their stores,” he said. He said local designers have the required skill and the capability to supply local shops. “Shop owners are in business so they cannot compromise their standards so quality has to be met,” he said.
Olopeng promised the designers that he will fight their battles as long as they can meet the required standards. “They will come up with conditions. MYSC can meet every condition so it is up to designers to produce quality merchandise,” he highlighted. He told the designers to work together as an association in order to achieve one common goal.
The designers were then given a chance to voice out their views and questions in relation to Olopeng’s proposal. A local fashion designer, Gabriel Maphane, said every designer has to research and introspect in order to develop. He suggested that Batswana should plant cotton instead of buying expensive products from outside. “We should also learn to use recycled material,” he said.
Another fashion designer, Irene Phutietsile, asked the minister to give them feedback after consulting the shop owners. “We don’t want to see people on television without any information on how they got there; consultation is the key,” she said.
A veteran dressmaker from Kgalagadi region, Sophina Kgositau, pleaded with the MYSC to address her concerns. “I have a dream. I went through non-formal education because I wanted to grow the talent I was born with but lack of resources has hampered everything,” she said. She said she once won a competition but never got the rewards. Kgositau said lack of support has demotivated her to develop her business.
Another veteran dressmaker, Magdeline Serero who has been in the industry for 20 years, told the minister not to focus on the youth only. She advised the youth to improve quality and support each other.
Young fashion designer, Kesaobaka Kemolatlhe, said the sector is dependant on government initiatives. “We need to embark on fashion tourism so that people from outside can consume our indigenous products,” he said. He told everyone that Botswana need to have their own fashion week no wonder they came up with their own called Face Fashion Week, which he said is currently ongoing.
A model, Maina Thapedi, voiced out the challenges affecting them in the model industry. “Models are not taken seriously. They make money out of us but we cant make money through them,” he said. Former beauty queen, Karen Ngada, added that there is a lot of exploitation in the modelling industry. “Models are taken for granted, but they are the ones who sell products,” she highlighted.
James Ditiro, a fashion designer, suggested that a bill should be passed so that retail shops can sell a specified percentage of local products in their shops. Fashion enthusiast, Bissau Gaobakwe, said designers needed to make money out of their talent. “We need to focus on how to get our products out there,” he said. Gaobakwe called upon designers to submit their designs to him so that they can be manufactured and sold in stores across the country.
Olopeng said MYSC is looking for a plot to open a marketing space. “We are talking about a first class market with well-developed facilities,” he said. Olopeng also said the upcoming second television channel will cater for the arts. He also announced that he will be meeting musicians and performing artists next.