by Karabo Legoabe –
Thabo Makhetha is a South African fashion designer and founder of the eponymous fashion label Thabo Makhetha. This tall beautiful young woman, who could easily be mistaken for one of the models she dresses, is no ordinary young artist but an award winning designer and budding entrepreneur recognized as one of the Top 40 under 40 business leaders by the Nelson Mandela Bay Business chamber.
Thabo is the recipient of the 2014 ImpACT Award for Design sponsored by Distell Foundation and supported by Creativefeel Magazine. Makhetha founded her fashion company in 2009, as a wide-eyed 21-year-old graduate. Her creativity and ethnic-inspired designs have helped her grab the attention of a fashion conscious clientele as far as Vancouver, Canada , the UK and USA.
In 2013 she showcased her Kobo Ea Bohali “Blankets of Prestige” Collection at the Design Indaba Expo in Cape Town, the Basotho blanket-inspired coats were met with widespread critical acclaim and Makhetha was featured as one of the top ten designers at the expo and in the lifestyle sections of newspapers: The Herald, City Press and Sunday Times and the glossy pages of Elle Decor SA and Marie Claire SA magazines.
For the past six years her business has been growing from strength to strength, creating jobs in her community and spreading her footprint across the globe. It wasn’t always an easy road, Thabo mentions she endured some serious challenges along the way, including retrenchment of staff, theft and dealing with imitations of her designs being made and sold. What got her through these challenging times was her firm belief that there are always lessons to be learnt and without the hardships she went through with her business, she wouldn’t be the woman that she is today and her company wouldn’t be where it is now!
One of her biggest career highlight was receiving the ImpACT Award for Design in 2014 as it was an indication that she was doing something right and that all her late nights and hard work are being noticed. Another career highlight was having former Elle Magazine editor Jackie Burger wear her cape to the Louis Vuitton show in Paris during Paris Fashion week in 2014.
When asked what fuels her passion as a young designer operating in a challenging industry, she said “every morning when I get up, I wake up from my dream of owning my own fashion house building and being an internationally recognized designer… each day my dream is becoming more and more of a reality. I love creating something from nothing, and having people fall in love with my work is the best feeling. Those are the things that keep me going every day.”
Thabo’s journey is an inspirational one and the Arts & Culture Trust honours young artists such as her who are creating waves in their industries and producing ground breaking art. If you know of a young artist who deserves recognition, Click here to nominate them for an ImpACT Award. Nominations close on 6 September 2015.
For more information about Thabo Makhetha, click here.