Latest news with #ThaboMakhetha
DW
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- DW
Basotho blankets on the runway – DW – 05/20/2025
Sharon Farr 05/20/2025 May 20, 2025 South African designer Thabo Makhetha weaves her Basotho heritage into fashion, making global waves — but what happens when international brands such as Louis Vuitton feature the iconic blanket's motifs in their designs?
News24
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
Lesotho style, Paris dreams: Designer Thabo Makhetha ready to take Basotho heritage global
Thabo Makhetha is a fashion designer who integrates Sotho heritage into her designs, notably using Basotho blankets. From launching her collection in 2011 to showcasing at SA Fashion Week, her milestones include collaborating with Jerry Mofokeng and international recognition with her designs featured at global events. Makhetha focuses on celebrating Basotho culture through bold, impactful designs while aspiring to showcase her work on international platforms in cities like Paris. Once again, celebrated Sotho designer Thabo Makhetha has taken the fashion industry by storm with her latest collection showcased at SA Fashion Week in April, and she has set her sights on international runways. Known for her remarkable use of the Basotho blankets, the designer celebrated heritage once again in her latest collection, featuring the iconic print in pastel colours and various shades of brown. For Makhetha, fashion has always been a huge part of her life and the only plan in terms of a career. 'Fashion is just something that's always been with me,' she told News24. In her early life, Makhetha often heard that her gift for sewing came from her grandmother, Dikeledi, whose name inspired the print in her newest collection, showcased at SA Fashion Week. 'The collection that you also saw now, the print on this 100% cotton is called Dikeledi. That's my grandmother's name. 'People say that I got the gift for sewing from her. It's just always been with me. I've never actually thought about doing anything else. I don't know what else I can do but fashion,' she said. The Dikeledi collection featured the Sotho print on 100% cotton, showcasing a lighter and more versatile evolution of the blanket design. 'It's a translation of a lighter fabric and possibly the future of textiles for Basotho culture in terms of using those beautiful bold prints and colours,' she said. The boldness of Sotho blankets For Makhetha, the designers are meant to make a powerful statement while also putting Sotho in the spotlight both locally and globally. 'It's my story, it's my heritage. It's amazing; it stands out,' she said, adding that the boldness of the blankets is not just about aesthetic appeal but also about making a cultural statement. According to the designer, her journey in the fashion industry started in 2009 after she completed her tertiary studies. Instead of seeking employment and working under someone else, she dived headfirst into building her own brand. Two years later, in 2011, she introduced the celebrated 'Kobo ea Teng' collection, marking her signature use of Sotho blankets. When asked if she thought her work would become successful enough to land on SA Fashion Week's runway, Makhetha said bigger milestones are yet to come. 'We haven't yet gotten to the part where we're having these interviews, and you and I are talking in Paris and all these other foreign locations. So that's the answer to that one,' she grinned. Career milestones and creative collaborations Makhetha's career has seen various significant milestones, with one of her proudest moments being her collaboration with legendary South African actor and director Jerry Mofokeng. The two worked together on 'Hope on a Horse' in Cape Town, an artistic performance blending fashion and storytelling. Mofokeng, who directed the event, praised Makhetha's vision, describing her work as a way of wearing 'the best of yourself on your skin.' Mofokeng, who donned one of Makhetha's pieces for a poetry programme in Cape Town, told News24 about how the garment impacted him. 'Nobody must touch my body except Thabo. And she got me right... really brought the best out of me,' he said. He also applauded Makhetha's ability to redefine traditional Sotho elements, particularly referencing her latest show as a redefinition of 'Tethana,' a Sotho skirt symbolising youthful grace among Basotho maidens. 'There is something in Masoto for the little young maidens called Tethana. She redefined Tethana today. 'That last dress is something for the awards ceremony. It cannot be worn at anything less than that. It requires an event that has lights and cameras,' the veteran actor said in an interview with News24 after the fashion show. Another memorable milestone was when former Elle magazine editor Jackie Burger showcased a Thabo Makhetha cape seated at the front row of a Louis Vuitton fashion show. 'And I think for her, it was that seal of approval to say, 'Girl, you're doing the right thing. Keep going in this way'. And really encouraged me to get to where I'm at now as well,' she said. A celebration of culture and craft Makhetha's SA Fashion Week collection demonstrated her creativity and dedication to preserving and celebrating the Basotho culture. The final dress during her show made a huge impact and was described by Mofokeng as perfect for award ceremonies. This is because it symbolised the grandeur and bold elegance Makhetha is known for. 'That last dress is something for the awards ceremony. It cannot be worn at anything less than that,' he said. 'It requires an event that has lights and cameras.'
News24
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
Thabo Makhetha's SS25 collection is a love letter to Lesotho's vast lands
Thabo Makhetha showcased at SA Fashion Week day two. The collection is reminiscent of what spring and summer in Lesotho looks like. The luxury label has baby clothes and more up their sleeves for the future. Thabo Makhetha-Kwinana has given South Africa luxury women's fashion with a taste of Lesotho for more than 15 years. The latest collection in her eponymous women's wear label features distinct patterns reminiscent of nature and shades of green and brown that represents Thabo and Lesotho's rich lands. The hustle and bustle of fashion season ended after the South African Fashion Week spring/summer 2025 runway shows in Hyde Park, Johannesburg, from 24 to 26 April 2025, with Thabo Makhetha designs showcased on day two. Redefining Basotho culture After the show, Thabo gave TRUELOVE some insight into the inspiration behind the collection. 'I think, for me, when I do collections, you have to balance functionality and creativity. So, what I usually try to do is to have pieces that you could wear every day. But when you showcase it on the runway obviously you want to elevate it, you want to give entertainment and excitement. But obviously, we also see with our showstopper. That's the art and the craft of it that comes out. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Thabo Makhetha (@tmakcc) Thabo continues, 'That last piece really tells the story because we're talking about thethana, which is the maiden skirt that they wear. It's made from a grass reed and then they roll it together. So, we're taking that kind of inspiration and redefining it, making it luxurious, making you look at it in a different way; that's always been the point. 'This is Basotho culture but let's redefine it, let's take the story to the world. Let's get someone in Europe, in Asia, in America, wherever, being able to access our culture and tell the story behind it, not just wear it because it's fashion.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by South African Fashion Week (@safashionweek) When it comes to the specific colours chosen for the collection, Thabo explains how Lesotho's luscious green fields brought alive by its rainfall made a big mark on her inspiration. She says, 'With the colours I chose for this one, it's supposed to be spring/summer and I just thought in Lesotho when it rains, and the mountains are so rich and green and then the rain falls down and almost like on the slate and we see these strong blacks against the green. So, my colours actually just came from that idea of ha ke Lesotho, what does summer and spring actually look like.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by South African Fashion Week (@safashionweek) For the people Not only have Thabo Makhetha designs become popular across the country at locations like the Soko District in Rosebank Mall, the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town and Africa Arise in Sandton, but the brand dipped its toes into homeware with a limited edition tile range with CTM. While Thabo is looking to expanding into homeware, for now she wants to focus on getting her designs to her loyal customers. 'I think I want to focus on getting the product to the people. I've got baby clothes – there are things you haven't seen because I sit, and I make up the stuff and you only see it now and again in moments. So, I think I want to get the stuff out to the people, then after that we'll start looking at moving out more into the CTM and following those things. 'But I think for now the call has been, 'girl, I don't have your stuff. You're not around, where can we find you?' So, let me sort out my tribe, let me sort out them first, and then we'll look into more collaborations thereafter.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Thabo Makhetha (@tmakcc) To close off a successful show, Thabo leaves us with a few words of wisdom she would tell her younger self if she could. 'You weren't wrong for all off your stubbornness, for all the heartache, for all the doors that were shut in your face, you were not wrong, girl. And I'm saying to me now at this age, keep doing it. Keep going.'
