Designer Lebese carves a name for herself

Despite her humble education, this gifted craftswoman has carved a name for herself as she is today a leading traditional clothes designer.

Born a year before independence into a rural family who did not seem to attach much importance to education, the petite Lebese was destined to be a subsistence farmer like the rest of her family. Unfortunately for her, she was the eldest child and despite her gender, she was expected to look after the family 'fortune' - the few herd of cattle and goats. Under normal circumstances, a boy would have been expected to perform those duties, but her brother was still too young for the energy-sapping task.