Pamela Ntshwarang was selected the winner of the Masa Square Hotel Fashion Mentorship Programme challenge held this past Wednesday (May 31) at Absolut.
Ntshwarang’s design was given the thumbs-up by judges Mpho Kuaho and Aobakwe Molosiwa. She was assisted by her mentor Botho Chalebgwa.
The challenge was part of the ongoing Masa Fashion Show campaign. The challenge brief, themed Culinary Couture, required the mentees to use aesthetics drawn from food items on the menus from Don Carlos Restaurant.
They had to design a complete ensemble that encapsulated the spirit and energy of the culinary repertoire on offer at the restaurant. “Use elements and principles of design as a directional starting point and explore textures, colours, shapes and lines brought together with attention to balance, rhythm and harmony to execute your ensemble,” the brief said.
Ntshwarang and her two runners-up, Gomotsegang Dipuo and Ratanang Morontshe respectively won vouchers from various textile outlets.
In April Masa Square Hotel launched the first Fashion Mentorship Programme mentee challenge. Under the theme of ‘Sakeng ko Paris’ the 12 mentees of the programme were tasked with creating a look that blended quintessential Botswana aesthetics with timeless Parisian style.
Lerang Keabile was the eventual winner.
In anticipation of the annual Masa Fashion Show, which will be held on October 21, 2017, Masa Square Hotel launched a game-changing initiative: the MSH Fashion Mentorship Programme. The programme, launched on Thursday February 23, 2017, at the hotel, is the first of its kind in Botswana. It will see 12 budding fashion designers mentored by 12 more seasoned designers from the local industry. This comes following four consecutive years of the Masa Fashion Show with an increasingly impressive attendance.
The program has been running since March under the theme ‘Working Together to Build Botswana’s Creative Industry.’ Twelve seasoned fashion designers from the Botswana industry will mentor the programme’s budding designers. Collections developed during the programme will be officially showcased at the Masa Fashion Show slated for October 2017.
Until September leading up to the final show in October, the mentees will be tasked with designing an exclusive collection for the Masa Fashion Show. As part of the Show, the hotel will also host a series of MSH Fashion Talk Shops over the course of the year to share valuable business insights from renowned local and international names. The speakers will discuss their success stories, especially as African entrepreneurs and professionals. The purpose is to provide inspiration and key business tips from a variety of speakers who are directly and indirectly stakeholders of the creative industry.
