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July 7 2025

ABSA, LUCARA Botswana pump P100k Into CRÉATION Botswana

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Absa Botswana, one of the country’s biggest commercial banks, and diamond giant Lucara Botswana have announced a partnership with Création Botswana, a program designed to empower fashion designers in the country.

The two prominent companies revealed they will each award prize money of P50,000 to the most outstanding pitches, recognizing excellence in creativity, entrepreneurship, and sustainability.

6H4A4422-scaled ABSA, LUCARA Botswana pump P100k Into CRÉATION Botswana

Création Botswana will host a pitch competition on July 11th at the Botswana National Museum. Ten finalists will present their fashion projects to a jury chaired by the Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs. The judging panel will also include South African designer Rich Mnisi, Ada Thela (Managing Director of Zoe Diamond), Jean-Marc Chauve (Managing Director of Imane Ayissi), and a senior representative from Absa Botswana.

Création Botswana will also provide a third award of P20,000. All three winners will receive an all-expenses-paid trip, courtesy of Lucara, to tour the Karowe Diamond Mine.

6H4A4614-scaled ABSA, LUCARA Botswana pump P100k Into CRÉATION Botswana

“From my perspective, this is more than celebration of fashion but rather is a powerful demonstration of what is possible when vision, creativity and collaboration come together as a bank that believes in empowering Africa’s tomorrow, together one story at a time. We are very proud to support the Botswana’s creative economy, remember as a bank we can only grow if you entrepreneurship grow and that is why it remains very pivotal towards our strategy and in everything that we do. In this program we are investing not only in fashion but in entrepreneurship ,youth development and inclusive growth. ABSA managing director Keabetswe Moshagane noted.

6H4A4530-scaled ABSA, LUCARA Botswana pump P100k Into CRÉATION Botswana

“When I joined Lucara Botswana in 2018,I really wanted to make a difference to everything in the diamond industry and one of the things is beneficiation .We have done so well in diamonds- extracting the rough ,taking it to markets, but what we really didn’t do well at -was the whole beneficiation process, the downstream activities and when I stepped to be the managing director of Lucara Botswana that was always my dream and Fast forward to today the dream is actually coming true through partnerships as this.” Naseem Lahri, Managing Director of Lucara Botswana

June 10 2025

BEYOND DESIGN: How Création Botswana is Empowering a New Generation of Fashion Entrepreneurs.

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From Right to Left; June Masterclass led by Émilie Gambade (Head of Life and Culture at Daily Maverick and former Editor-in-Chief of ELLE South Africa) and Emmanuelle Courrèges (French journalist and founder of LAGO54.

6H4A3598-scaled BEYOND DESIGN: How Création Botswana is Empowering a New Generation of Fashion Entrepreneurs.

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6H4A3683-scaled BEYOND DESIGN: How Création Botswana is Empowering a New Generation of Fashion Entrepreneurs.

6H4A3633-scaled BEYOND DESIGN: How Création Botswana is Empowering a New Generation of Fashion Entrepreneurs.

BEYOND DESIGN.

CRÉATION BOTSWANA IS EMPOWERING A NEW GENERATION OF FASHION ENTREPRENEURS

In the heart of Southern Africa, a Fashion renaissance is quietly taking root…

BEYOND DESIGN.

CRÉATION BOTSWANA IS EMPOWERING A NEW GENERATION OF FASHION ENTREPRENEURS

In the heart of Southern Africa, a Fashion renaissance is quietly taking root…

Émilie Gambade

Head of Life and Culture at Daily Maverick and former Editor-in-Chief of ELLE South Africa

6H4A3685-scaled BEYOND DESIGN: How Création Botswana is Empowering a New Generation of Fashion Entrepreneurs.

Emmanuelle Courrèges

French journalist and founder of LAGO54

In the heart of Southern Africa, a fashion renaissance is quietly taking root. It’s not driven by fleeting trends, but by a deep, deliberate effort to transform Botswana’s creative industry from the inside out. This profound shift is being led by Création Botswana, a dynamic initiative that, over the past year, has sewn new possibilities into the fabric of the nation’s fashion scene.

Born from a collaboration between the French Embassy in Botswana, the National Arts Council of Botswana, and Alliance Française de Gaborone, Création Botswana is part of the wider Création Africa program. The project was launched with a bold mission: to leverage creativity as a tool for sustainable development and economic diversification.

Since its launch in September of last year, the program has worked closely with 28 fashion designers. It offers not just training, but a visionary approach, helping them see their work not merely as design but as viable enterprise. From emerging talents to seasoned fashion entrepreneurs, each participant has gained access to monthly workshops, practical masterclasses, mentorship, and, crucially, opportunities for global exposure.

6H4A3537-scaled BEYOND DESIGN: How Création Botswana is Empowering a New Generation of Fashion Entrepreneurs.

6H4A3674-scaled BEYOND DESIGN: How Création Botswana is Empowering a New Generation of Fashion Entrepreneurs.

6H4A3654-2-scaled BEYOND DESIGN: How Création Botswana is Empowering a New Generation of Fashion Entrepreneurs.

This past week, the initiative reached a significant milestone with a public masterclass titled “Lessons from the Field: From Story to Strategy.” Led by Émilie Gambade—Head of Life and Culture at Daily Maverick and former Editor-in-Chief of ELLE South Africa—alongside Emmanuelle Courrèges, a French journalist and founder of LAGO54, the session explored the power of narrative in brand building. It wasn’t just about storytelling for its own sake; it was about equipping designers with the tools to define their voice, position their brand, and confidently enter global markets.

What makes Création Botswana unique is its holistic approach to the fashion ecosystem. Designers weren’t simply trained in technical design; they were immersed in business strategy, branding, marketing, and sustainability. Each workshop was carefully curated to reflect the realities of the fashion business, both locally and globally.

Participants represented diverse stages in their careers. Some were just starting out, creating their first collections and dreaming of launching their own labels. Others had established brands, with loyal customer bases and clear creative identities. What united them was a shared commitment to growth and a belief in the potential of Botswana’s fashion industry to shine internationally.