Fashionista Ooke proves 'where there is a will there is a way'

EUNICE MASIE
Correspondent | Tuesday May 28, 2013 00:00

 

Social network site Pinterest, alongside her love for fashion is what triggered her passion, crafting, and from day one the love for what she is doing grew every minute. Ooke, 30, was born in Mahalapye and grew up in Serowe. She became fashion- conscious from a very early age and always wanted to keep up with the latest trends, accessories, colours and all the likes.

'I've always loved bright and bold colours, which stand out, always wanted to keep up with what's in vogue,' she says. She adds that throughout secondary school, she was doing Art, and entered various competitions in Logo Designs just to try her luck.

She joined a number of social sites, and amongst them was Pinterest, a site that allows users to post pictures of anything of no particular interest available for sale to other users. 'I was browsing through one day, and I just fell in love with some neckpieces made out of cloth,' she says.  Initially Ooke's inclination was to place an order for the neckpieces, but a thought crossed her mind that she could actually do it by herself.

'Being the artistic person that I am, I didn't think it would be difficult in any way.  So instead of placing an order, I decided to buy pieces of fabric and started making the neckpieces myself,' she says. 'The very first piece that I made didn't come out quite well but that didn't stop me,' she adds with a great sense of victory.  She says that people loved the artwork so much that she developed a strong urge of transforming her newly discovered passion into a small business.

Ooke started off focusing on only neckpieces and clutch bags, but has now included ottoman covers, cushions, earrings and bracelets in her range. She uses Ankara Cloth, which originates from Central and West African countries though she buys them from a local supplier. 'Ankara Cloth is the best to work with, it's easier to use as it is softer and lighter compared to heavier textured prints,' she explains.

'I also prefer Ankara because it is brighter and has bold prints,' she adds. The process of making these crafts isn't quite a difficult one if one as it looks. It usually takes about 20 minutes to make earrings and approximately four hours to make a handbag. She says that she usually moves around various accessory shops to find inspiration and to look at what her potential customers would prefer.

'All my products are handmade. I don't sketch but once I get an idea of what I want to make I get going. I use a leather kind of material as the inside of the handbags, then hand sew lining onto it before I finish it off with a sewing machine just to make it look neat and presentable,' she says. Ooke explains that making crafts is different from fashion designing as crafting is an art that can be learnt at home, whilst in fashion designing at some point one may be required to go to school. She says she believes that handwork isn't a difficult task but requires so much passion and hard work in order to get the desired finish. She describes her pieces as fun and thrilling because once she sits down to start making them the only time she stops is when she is done.

'It's more like an addiction because I always look forward to seeing the final product,' she says.  Ooke says customer-satisfaction ad product quality are what keep her going.The demand for Ooke's products is high in Gaborone and at times she can't cope because she is based in Palapye. She says very often customers howl at her because they want the goods delivered during the week and she fails to meet this. 'The one challenge I am facing right now is the distance that I have to travel on a weekly basis. Most of those who appreciate my work and what I do are in Gaborone; so I have to supply them on a regular basis; so I have to move in between Gaborone and Palapye regularly.'

Amongst African Lace's target market, which includes customers mostly aged 20-40s, are white people. 'White people just love what I do, and most of them often say that my products are very cheap. I've never come across any complaints about exorbitant prices, so I can say that they are reasonable and affordable,' Ooke adds.

Although she has not previously entered any exhibitions, she wishes to take part in some in the future. 'My goal is now to take my product to the people, to reach out to a larger market because the demand is very high. People just love what I do,' she says.

Ooke tells Showbiz that she wishes to urge Batswana that her products are now available and pleaded that they should support her business.