“When I believe that something is possible I go all out to make it happen. I take massive action and have the commitment to keep doing whatever it takes to achieve it and in the process I tap into a lot of my personal potential,” said 27-year-old Thobo Motlogelwa.
In 2012 Thobo finally started his clothing brand ‘Cotton Mouth,’ one that he so dearly talks about as a baby of his that took five years of planning to successfully bring to life. “I wanted to thoroughly study the local market first to get a real picture of what it is that it craves,” said Thobo. Raised in Orapa, his journey was propelled by the then sad reality of having to rely on one clothing store as a supplier of his gear. “Being a hip hop enthusiast, growing up within such limits always made me thirsty to come to places like Gaborone on a hunt for the likes of ‘Fubu’ and ‘Jordan.’ As I got older that thirst got me studying what it is that makes such brands hits. I then decided to come up with a lifestyle brand that will appeal to people for the meaning and purpose it carries, hence the birth of Cotton Mouth, largely because I had a thirst in that regard” Thobo said.
Motlogelwa said Cotton Mouth hosts four designs that speak volumes. ‘Believe’ because beliefs are what empower seemingly ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things, ‘Don’t Hate’ because one can choose to take the higher route and be kind to their enemy and by taking the more benevolent approach there is a chance that they may become allies, ‘Stand Tall’ because positive body language is the norm for big achievers and ‘Do You’ because people need to celebrate who they are in essence and the one thing that defines individual uniqueness is who one truly is.
“Keeping up with the latest fashion trends is what keeps Cotton Mouth alive,” said Thobo. He sees fashion as one challenging terrain to sojourn in because it is ever evolving. Motlogelwa is very grateful as he has a dedicated team that works tirelessly towards the success of his brand. He said together with his team they have dedicated their days to always coming up with better, which means forever exploring different fabrics and ensuring best print quality. He could not emphasise enough the importance of making sure the suppliers they deal with are the best the industry has to offer. “I also have to make sure almost every minute that everything is done accordingly because keeping my customers happy is top priority, therefore all homework that needs to be done before our products enter the market is done to the finest detail,” said Thobo. He said the reason why his brand has not been intimidated by his competitors is because of the amount of energy he puts into seeing to its success. Motlogelwa uses social media a lot as his advertising vehicle but said he invests a lot in photography and models to ensure that the pictures he uses on his Facebook page and the like are of extremely good quality. “I am very satisfied with the results I get from using facebook and twitter especially,” he said.
For the next five years Motlogelwa will focus a lot on the successful distribution of his merchandise. “I’ve been granted the big opportunity next semester to supply the University of Botswana’s Souvenir Shop with my merchandise and I am very excited as that will open a lot of doors for me!” he exclaimed. Thobo will not only limit himself to the local market as he also has his eyes set on South Africa and the rest of the world. He intends to take the brand to people across the globe through an online store which he said is well underway. “I am optimistic that there will be minimal obstacles during the implementation of my five year plan because I have been blessed with a mentor to guide me. He is a boutique owner and has done a lot of promotional branding work,” said Motlogelwa. He said he will keep living by his mantra ‘believe and achieve’ and hopes that in the process he will inspire others to also believe in their dreams no matter how small. “You can never achieve more than what you aspire to,” said Thobo.
