Gokganwang makes significant strides
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Sunday June 16, 2024 09:36
Born in Moleplole, Gokganwang is the founder and director of GuD! Footwear Incorporation, a local shoe manufacturing company that specialises in the production of ladies' and men’s sandals. She says she plans to expand and produce other types of shoes in the near future. In an interview with Arts&Culture, she said she started shoe manufacturing in early 2023 after completing a two-month shoe-making course. Her first sales were in October 2023 after she was selected to exhibit at the Makgabaneng International Arts Festival.
On Monday, Gokganwang won the first position at the National Arts Festival competition for the South-East region under the leather category. She said whenever she tells people that she makes shoes, they are always amazed if there is a Motswana who is into shoe making, saying one of the areas that surprises them the most is that it is a lady doing it. She added that Batswana are supportive of her business. She said sandal sales have been soaring since day one. “I registered for the National Arts Festival 2024 competitions in February. It was my first time participating in this competition. When I was announced as a winner, I felt positive and excited to have a new challenge of making two artworks for the competition. I had to go an extra mile and stretch myself beyond my comfort zone of making simple sandals and I decided to do the designs that I have never done before because the aim was to be the best and win. 'I had to spend sleepless nights making both artworks and at some point, I had to re-do the artworks multiple times. So being announced as the winner was just a result of the hard work that I have invested in making the shoes,” Gokganwang stated.
She said she did not expect to lose because she worked hard and was confident to win. She said her most memorable piece is the ladies' sandal that she made for the National Arts Festivals competition. She also said she loved the shoes because it was not just a pair of sandals but also a reflection of the great potential that her country, Botswana, has. She titled it ‘Vast Beauty Of Botswana’. Gokganwang also said she was selected as a delegate for the recent Forbes Under 30 Summit Africa. She was also part of the International Footwear Congress held at Milan, Italy in September 2023. “I produce handmade female sandals, and recently, I expanded my talent of making sandals by making male sandals with a source of inspiration being my spiritual father Prophet Boago Ramogapi, who challenged me to make a pair of sandals for him. I never thought that I will be a footwear designer one day, I never dreamt of being one and I never desired to venture into a business of making shoes, but it was a spiritual inspiration,” she said. “One day, I was passing by an old friend’s house, they were selling second-hand clothes, and I saw a pair of boots that caught my attention. I loved the boots so much, and I wanted to buy them for myself, but unfortunately, they were not my size. They were size five whereas I am a size three. I told myself that I am going to get those boots done, even if I could hire someone to make them for me. I started doing my research about the industry and exposing myself to how shoes are made,” Gokganwang added. Furthermore, she explained that she learned the craft by watching videos on YouTube before enrolling for a two-months course in March 2023, which was offered by a local training institute. She added that she believed that art was the reason for her existence and it made her happy, satisfied and fulfilled in life. She has always loved arts, modeling, pageantry and dancing, which made her realise that she was born to be an artist or artisan. She stated that she loved engaging in activities that allowed her to be creative.