Shangu Footwear to change fashion game
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Tuesday July 4, 2023 09:08
The men’s shoes are surely bringing an ‘A’ game to the men’s wardrobe. Addressing the guests at the event, Mboko Basiami from Shangu said their footwear brings a new chapter in the fashion journey, infused with passion, deep sense of mindfulness towards good fashion, good quality, culture and heritage, tradition and elegance. “Shangu means shoe in my mother’s native tongue which is Kalanga. In life, in order to reach greener and greater pastures, one has to put one foot forward. In that way we made footwear that is made for timeless elegance,” she said. She added that their shoes were crafted with love and care. Giving the overview, Lawrence Seretse said Peace Mogale came up with the concept of making the footwear during the COVID-19 pandemic. He stated that even though the project to bring the shoe line was delayed, they had time to brainstorm and craft quality shoes.
“Refresh your wardrobe. There is a new cobbler around. When people were locked up in their homes, offices while many were watching Netflix, baking to kill time, Mogale was thinking of making good and comfortable shoes for men. It is difficult to find nice good quality shoes and belts for men. When our creative juices oozed, we drew a couple of shoes,” he said. He added that they intended to not only sell their shoes locally but also to go international. Seretse also called on different stakeholders for support saying that it is through them that Shangu Footwear could grow and be crafted locally with local leather. For her part, Mogale who is the director of Shangu said they named their various shoes in native Setswana words associated with travelling like leoto, mosepele, motlala, motsamai and legato. She said she chose those names because when one embarks on a journey they have to first put on their shoes. She took guests through her journey before her dreams came true; the struggles she went through until she finally succeeded to make her dreams come true. “Batswana please stop asking us for discounts. We use lot of money to ensure we give you quality products. It is a journey for us to ensure that we keep our businesses going. Shangu is ours. It wants to grow and be taken across the country and abroad. We cannot do this without you. We need your support,” she added.
Furthermore, Mogale pointed out that their shoes were different from others because they were of good quality, handmade and durable. She also promised to give shoes that were worthy of customers’ money. Giving keynote address, the Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) CEO, Thabo Thamane applauded the founders for coming up with such beautiful shoes. He, however, called on them to start manufacturing their shoes in Botswana so that they could create jobs.