'Fashion means everything to me' - young designer Khupe

MPHO TLALE
Staff Writer | Thursday March 21, 2013 00:00

He states that his life revolves around fashion, which is why he has to make a statement whenever he can.In an interview with Showbiz, Khupe states that he fell in love with fashion from a younger age.  He mentions that he drew inspiration from his father who was a fashion designer.He said, 'I fell in love with fashion when I was doing Home Economics back in the day.  I especially enjoyed the clothing and textiles section more and that was the icing on the cake as my father had already laid that fashion foundation in me.'

The energetic young man says that since then he has never looked back and is aiming at making a name for himself within the Botswana fashion circles and beyond.He states that so far his experience has been bitter-sweet, adding that this is because the Botswana fashion scene is unpredictable as it has a trend of picking and dropping.

Khupe further says, 'Generally Batswana love fashion but they are not like people from other countries because they don't want to pay.  They want to look fancy but are not willing to part with the money that matches the look.' He, however, said that this has not dampened his spirit as he aims to continue doing what he loves.Khupe said that currently he is multitasking as he is working on designing gowns for two contestants who have entered for Miss Botho College pageant.He is also looking to broaden his horizons as he is also in the process of working with designer Njabulo Ngwenya from South Africa on a shoe range that is set to be launched in October.

On top of that Khupe said that he is currently working on some designs with a friend Tshepo Kgositau for their JARK range, which they hope, will be revealed to the public soon.  He added that he distinguishes his designs from the rest through 'bling' because everything he works on has to have 'bling' for identity.  Khupe says that he is where he is today because he has been building a profile that goes back to 2010 when he worked with Seneo Moji, one of Botswana's known names in the fashion industry.

He says that during his days at Moji's Amiel Fashions, he got to design garments for Miss Botswana and Miss Interbanks contestants.  Apart from designing, Khupe says he is an all-in-one man as he is doing events management under 69 Macheri as well as doing make-up for local fashion shows on a regular basis.