Prolific fashion houseBotocy recentlyshowcased captivating work on internationalstage ‘World Fashion Week’ held in Malaysia at the Palace of the Golden Horses. The face behind the fashion house, BothoChalebgwa, says her experience has been both transformative and insightful, as well as valuable to her brand growth.
Lifestyle caught up with the talented designer to retrospect on her experience.
On the inspiration behind her lines, Botho gavesome background on the fashion line. “Botocy presented a fun yet functional collection titled ‘super woman’. It was inspired by the diversity of women and the different daily roles that make up the essence of woman. The collection comprises of African prints and leteisi in contemporary silhouettes and fabrics.”
She says during her creative process as she prepped for the show, her collection pieces centeredaround leteise(German Print) as thematerial of choice, as it is representative of Batswana tradition and identity.“People find leteisi captivating and interesting as it is subtle and more relatable in comparison with other bolder African prints.” It was not the first international showcase Botocy has had. However it was the first time to showcase in Asia.
Chalebgwa is known to dressmost local personalities and celebrities for high profile events, corporate and fashionable wear.
Although she received no financial support locally to ease her journey, the designersays the sacrifice was worth it, as an international stage brings with it great opportunities and vast networks. “Showcasing internationally is always exciting as you get to experience how fashion is in countries where the fashion industry itself is more established. It gives you an opportunity to gauge your progress as a designer and inspires you to be more proactive with establishing brand identity which is something we tend to struggle with in Botswana.”
From the Malaysian chapter of World Fashion Show, she has been invited a bigger World Fashion Week in Paris scheduled for November together with Kaone Moremong of House of Kay. “We are still sourcing sponsorship for it as we will be representing our country still.This past one was made possible by donations from a couple of people but it was mostly self-sponsored.”
She mentions that the biggest takeaway from the experience is exposure to an international market and the endless opportunities designers have, to break boundaries with fashion.
