Kavindama's lifestyle store opens
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Friday August 23, 2019 12:42
Her Brands Emporium and Vintage Classics Lifestyle Store is opening at Molapo Crossing today.
The store caters for the local fashion trendsetters. Upon entering the shop, one is met with breathtakingly colourful handbags, exquisite shoes; stunning sunglasses from top range fashion designers. Most of the fashion masterpieces are extraordinary and one of a kind, she said.
The self-proclaimed retired fashionista, who was once fashion design’s leading lady, told Arts & Culture that she travels across the world and hand picks each of the items that she sells in her store. She added that she ensures that she picks the best pieces that one cannot find in some of the neighbouring countries. All of the items she sells are of high quality satisfying her clients’ fashion sense.
“Imagine Dubai’s boujee stores and Sandton City’s Diamond Walk all in one store, this is what my store offers. I use my fashion expertise to select all the items I sell here. Since I have been in the industry for too long I know what is needed and what my targeted customers want. I always ensure that I select a top-of-the-range collection to satisfy my customers. These are labels such as Dolce&Gabbana one of the world’s prominent designers , Versace, BVLGARI, Salvatore Ferragamo, Jimmy Choo and a few popular designs,” she revealed.
The ultimate exclusive store sells top designer brands in handbags, shoes, sunglasses, cosmetics and other fashion accessories. Each of her breathtaking shoes has a special effect that suits one’s fashion sense. In her shoe display is a pair of Dolce&Gabbana pair that she once wore in Parliament and made waves for in social media.
The uniqueness of her range of shoes differs from designs and soles more especially for women. The soles, the designs of all the shoes, handbags, and sunglasses portray a certain personality. Kavindama stated that she targets those people who dress up to show off, the people who want to dress uniquely and post their outfits on social media. All the items are limited and cannot be found in other boutiques and chances of one seeing other people wearing them are very slim to none. She explained that this move was made deliberately because she wants her customers to feel special because they would be spending a fortune on her collection.
“We are offering our clients the ultimate royal treatment starting this month end as it is the wedding season; if ladies spend more than P3,000 they get a free voucher for either manicure, pedicure, makeup session, weave fitting while gentlemen will be treated to a haircut and shave at one of the local upmarket beauty spa’s and hair salons,” Kavindama explained.
Her bags range from P1,000 to P4,500. She also sells elegant and unique 100% handcrafted bags that have no label. Those bags are colourful and of different sizes and shapes. The store will also accommodate special orders where clients can place for various fashion items not available in the store, in line with maintaining the exclusivity. The store will also be the office for her Vintage Classics Car Hire brand for weddings, prom, airport shuttle and other red carpet events.
Her collection of vintage cars comprises more than 15 ranges of cars, which include a 1938 Chevrolet. Each car can be hired for P3,500 per day in Gaborone only. She also sells her Classic Vintage branded t-shirts, which are sold at P300 each. When asked if this means that she is back in the fashion industry after retiring almost 20 years, she said the store might mark her return in the industry. She added that she might start designing her range, especially for the shop.
“Fashion is addictive and a calling. When you are born an artist, you will always come back to it in another form, one way or the other, hence I am now here to serve the fashion industry in another way through my lifestyle store,” she explained.
Kavindama is the first Motswana fashion designer to showcase at the South Africa Fashion Week and MNet Face of Africa, also credited for laying the platform for today’s fashion trends. She is one of the pioneers of Ndebele fashion, which is currently trending more than 20 years later after she first showcased her Ndebele collection in 1994.