Sessile Lopez, Tyson Beckford,

MPHO TLALE
Staff Writer | Monday July 9, 2012 00:00

Gaborone Fashion Weekend, this year brings Hollywood stars Tyson Beckford and Sessile Lopez as well as Diddy's step-son, Quincy Combs.  Lopez is making her second appearance at the Botswana fashion show, having been here last year for the inaugural event, Gaborone Fashion Night.

Tyson Beckford is a Hollywood actor  who has appeared in movies such as Boricua's Bond (2000), Zoolander (2001),  Shottas (2002), Trois 2: Pandora's Box (2002), Biker Boyz (2003), Gully (2002), Searching for Bobby D (2004),  Gas (2004),   Into the Blue (2005), Dream Street (late 2006 early 2007), Kings of the Evening (2008), Hotel California,  among others.  Beckford was named 'Man of the Year' in 1995 by the cable television music channel VH1 and one of the '50 Most Beautiful People in the World' by People Magazine.

The anticipated Gaborone Fashion Weekend (GFW), set to take place on August 10-11,  is expected to attract close to 800 spectators each day.  The two-day event is aimed at promoting Botswana's fashion industry on an international scale.  The show will feature eight local designers  and two international designers According to the brains behind the show, internationally acclaimed fashion designer, Koketso Chiepe, said this year's show is going to be bigger and better. Chiepe, who is based in London, says last year's Gaborone Fashion Night was a trial and it helped for what would be planned for  GFW this year.  She further said she is working with local designers so that they can learn a thing or two from her.  Above all, Chiepe says she encourages designers to make clothes that the ordinary person can wear.  She was careful to point out that this doesn't mean to say that designers should not create showpieces, because a showpiece is the best way to market one's brand.

As a brand on her own, Chiepe says that due to her  understanding of the international market and what it takes to put a fashion show together, she is using her experience to market local designers: 'By marketing themselves during the show, designers are well-exposed and stand a good chance of exporting their work to major retailers outside the country.'

Before the show, a representative from River Island, a retailer based in the United Kingdom, is expected to mentor and conduct workshops for designers  on marketing their brands internationally and creating collections for the mass market.

Preparations for the show are already underway.  The theme for the show is centred on Gaborone city and stalls are to be divided according to major streets in the city's capital. Each street will represent a different component of the country's fashion industry.

Big names expected to grace the show are former Miss Botswana Emma Wareus who is the face of GFW, super models Lopez and Beckford as well as Diddy's step son- Combs.