Spotlight on Création Botswana: Designer’s Perspective
Local Threads magazine features Gaekgone Lesego, a seasoned fashion designer, born and raised in Maun, Botswana, the gateway to the Okavango Delta.
Lesego is among the 28 designers participating in the Création Botswana program. She is part of the second cohort of seasoned and established designers.
Your Design Journey:
Briefly describe your brand’s aesthetic and what inspires your designs.
Authenticity, being true to who I am as a person, the role my environment plays to who I am is African heritage. I noticed there was a gap of quality ready-to-wear (RTW) leteisi/African print casual wear, and as a creative who is proud of my origin and identity, I wanted to help other women and creatives to embrace their identity through fashion.
What motivated you to pursue fashion design in Botswana? I grew up in an environment where I thought RTW fashionable clothes are from a store, and these clothes are not from our hands. Yet Clothing & Textile is the second industry after food production, which means it can create more jobs, unlike my experience when growing up, I’ll like the upcoming generation to have exposure to fashionable RTW mass production and see that it can come from their hands. It is our ultimate goal to build this brand to create jobs and empower women and artisans in the North-West region.
The Création Botswana Experience:
What specific aspects of the Création Botswana program have been most impactful for you as a designer?
For me every workshop has been impactful and relevant, if there is one thing that has been repeated by the experts throughout is; knowing and defining your brand DNA, these compelled me to think beyond just the use of fabrics and look deep in my story, why I started. Everything workshop topic really flowed well, we have delved deep into storytelling which is something I have held back from, I feel equipped and ready to share my story and build this brand.
How has the program helped you overcome challenges or seize new opportunities within the local fashion industry?
I started Prestige with excitement, used my personal savings produced ready-made clothing and home textile products, we have around 25 textile products we manufacture. But along the way I came to a point where I felt I needed direction, I knew the ultimate goal but at that juncture I was not sure how to move ahead, but Creation Botswana has been an answered prayer, we have International experts with lots of experience and one on one mentorship sessions. As a result, I have a clear direction on how to build this brand. I look forward to the impact this brand and that of my fellow Creative Botswana participants will have in the fashion in the industry in Botswana.
Looking Ahead:
What are your aspirations for your brand’s future, and how do you see Création Botswana contributing to those goals?
I look forward to more collaborations and partnership with stores and local companies to mainly distribute our products both locally and internationally. I also look forward to having our own prints on fabrics to better express our aesthetics and creativity.
What message would you share with other aspiring designers in Botswana about the importance of programs like this.
Do not hesitate to apply for programs such as Creation Botswana, we can never stop learning. And I will end By sharing a quote by Zara Odi, one of the experts on branding from Nigeria, “It’s not about creating a cool product, it’s about creating a DNA first, you don’t want to come to the world mediocre”.
