Masa Square Hotel and GaTshFros Off to SA Fashion Week
WeekendLife
After an outstanding launch of the MSH Fashion Mentorship Program in February, Masa Square Hotel is fanning the flames of the 2017 Masa Fashion Show campaign even more. The Hotel is pleased to announce that it will be sending its fashion mentorship program’s 12 mentors to SA Fashion Week SS17 in Johannesburg. The renowned fashion expose is billed to take place from 28 March to 1 April 2017.
G Said Masa Square Hotel Sales and Marketing Manager, Ms. Neo Nkele, “We are excited to be taking our group of mentors to this renowned event. SA Fashion Week has continued to grow in terms of the calibre of shows and brand associations. This show is one of the Region’s most popular platforms for African designers to expose, develop and grow their creative businesses. Our intention is to further promote Botswana’s creative industries to an extensive African market and to inspire our mentors to in return further mould their mentees as they continue working on their collections, which they will debut at the Masa Fashion Show in October.”
Accompanying the designers to Johannesburg will be local fashion power house duo, GaTsh Fros, courtesy of Masa Square Hotel. SA Fashion Week showcases over 20 runway shows, launches, installations and social events for designers to mingle with retailers, media, customers and VIP guests.
This year’s show will showcase collections from over 50 African grown designers. On the back of this, SA Fashion Week 2017 boasts of a wider directory of well over 100 designers specialising in men’s and women’s wear. The Hotel’s sponsorship comes as part of the MSH Fashion Mentorship Program and efforts towards the upcoming Masa Fashion Show, billed for October 21st 2017. Launched on 23 February 2017 under the theme ‘Working Together to Build Botswana’s Creative Industry’, the Masa Square Hotel initiative entails the mentorship of 12 budding fashion designers by 12 accomplished designers from the local industry.
The program was introduced following 4 consecutive years of the Masa Fashion Show held to great acclaim in the Botswana entertainment calendar. Concluded Ms. Nkele, “Market exposure is an important component of building a successful business as one is exposed to a variety of cultures, people and ideas. Fashion week in particular is a melting pot of African creatives. We trust that this sponsorship is a step forward in building our country’s ever burgeoning creative industry and further creates awareness of Botswana’s fashion industry to a larger audience. We have more activities in the pipeline to keep the mentees on their toes as they prepare their collections.
We are confident they will be ready, come October, to take centre stage at the Masa Fashion Show 2017 for Botswana and beyond to see their collections. This is about sustainable talent development, and that means pulling out all the stops to make as strong an impact as we possibly can.”
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Creatives taking over 2023
Creativity is seen everywhere and these individuals did something recently that’s never been done before, and some are still killing it. We see creativity on streaming platforms, stages, runways, social media and boardrooms even. Some of them are revamping their businesses, and lately, clothing sale is thriving.
They love concept-driven designs, storytelling and they bring fresh ideas and new perspectives that will leave footprints in the sand. Post the COVID-19 pandemic, these creative minds utilized the drawing board and they became cognizant that monetizing content will actually take them far, which is frank nonetheless.
This is commendable though, but the creative industry will still need support from government in order for it to flourish further. Allocation of resources (funds, facilities and empowerment) should be done consistently, creativity must be raised and at the end of the day, the economy benefits from that kind of investment.
HAN C
Ever since he parted ways with his former manager, DJ Bougee Sid, Mahalapye born-pint sized, multi-award-winning artist, Hanceford Magapatona has been taking up space, unapologetically so. Han C has shown a strong will to take over the entire world, and he is in the right direction. He’s solely organizing the annual Mahalapye Spring Festival, which is taking place next weekend.
The Pepetetsa hitmaker raked some monies from his savings to put together this event. Mahalapye Spring Festival will feature Paige, Ubuntu Band, Khoisan, Amantle Brown and Double Up among others. Even though it didn’t come as a surprise, Han C was nominated at African Muzik Magazine Awards (AFRIMMA) in the US, under Best Male Southern Africa category.
However, the award was snatched by the late South African rapper, AKA. Its not all lost as Han C secured two nominations at the Yarona FM Music Awards (YAMAs): People’s Choice of the Year and Best Male Single.
KOKETSO MOTSWAGOLE
This entrepreneur has turned his dreams into reality, and his promising apparel business is now a fashion destination. Matter of fact, Motswagole weathered the storms to be where he is now because through criticism and social media bullying, he still leads the pack in fashion.
His social media accounts got deleted but through his online store, KM Sales, Motswagole is able to rake in some profits. He initially started selling from his car but now owns a busy store and has employed a number of young people.
KM Sales has been offering fashionable items (shoes, t-shirts, pants) and has been participating in various lifestyle events such as Garden of Drip where it showcases its products.
If there is one young entrepreneur to draw motivation from is Koketso. The business started from humble beginnings, at the time when he worked part time at Ipelegeng as a casual labor. Indeed, good things come to those who wait, or well, work like a slave today, live like a king tomorrow.
KAGISO LUDO DE KLERK
Vee Mampeezy’s ex-wife Kagiso De Klerk clearly did not sit and weep over their dramatic divorce. The famous social media influencer hurriedly picked up the pieces and went hard on promoting business online. She literally took social media influencing to the head and it is working for her.
This year saw her partnership with Shell reach greater heights, and obviously, she is raking lot of pulas from the deal. Kagiso has been making frequent appearances in top events in South Africa such as Bubbles in Spring and Gold and Diamond Experience.
GAONA DINTWE
After a long break from the limelight, renowned media and radio personality, Gaona Dintwe is back. She was missed by many on TV, and she’s back where she belongs, news anchoring on BTV. Gaona has also found a niche in podcasting. She is a host of her own podcast, Gaona Live Conversation, where various people share their stories on camera.
Some of what they discuss is Gender Based Violence (GBV), polygamy and drug addiction. This is highly commendable because even BTV doesn’t have programs that discuss these crucial social issues. The Lentswelemoruti native is also seen in various corporate events where she is engaged as a host.
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DITIRO LEERO ONE MAN SHOW ON THE PIPELINE
Now that one-man shows are made fashionable, traditional dance guru and ex-convict, Ditiro Leero is joining the crusade and he will be hosting his also. The show will be held next month at Zone 4 Farm in Selokolela, but the there are traditional dance music artists who have been lined up to perform at the show. Matshana, Morwa Leka and Maswailathota will be doing their thing and probably bring some heat too. Ditiro Leero will be making history as the first traditional artist to host a one-man show in Botswana.
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MISS BOTSWANA HAVING MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE
With only two months before Miss World 2023, the reigning Miss Botswana, Lesego Chombo is having many irons in the fire, preparing for the much-anticipated beauty pageant. Miss World 2023 will be the 71st edition of Miss World pageant and it will be held in India. Chombo has been spotted toning her body at Jack’s gym, a requirement that is taken seriously at the pageant. She has also been participating in charity events, something that should add to her profile at the Miss World.