Selelo: a fashion designer of note
Maureen Odubeng | Friday May 12, 2017 11:30
A young Gaborone based fashion designer, Natasha Selelo, is one of the talented designers, whose magic hands can transform material into an outfit, which will turn heads, at any occasion/gathering. The 28-year-old has amazingly been in business for four years, having established her clothing line, Tasha Creationz in 2013.
Selelo, who is a graduate of Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, told Arts and Culture, that prior to starting her clothing line, she interned at a number of places where she gained a lot of experience.
She said her first internship was at Miranda Fashions. She said she was later mentored by one of the popular local designers, Kagiso Lesotlho, of Detour Fashions.
Selelo’s relationship with the drawing patterns, and playing around with material did not start when she decided to study Fashion at Limkokwing. She said she had always been fascinated with fabrics from a young age. “My mother was very fashionable, so it increased my interest,” she said.
She said she would watch Fashion TV, and find herself wanting to try some of the designs.
“I was intrigued by the designs I saw on Fashion TV and wanted to know how the dresses were made and see if I would be able to make something similar,” she said.
She said she decided to study Fashion during her senior secondary school years and believes that was the best decision she could have made.
“For my final project I did an evening gown, which I think contributed to me a getting a good grade,” she said.
Selelo said, from that point on, she has never looked back and knew immediately that she was destined to be a designer.
She said she is flexible and she can work with clients to come up with a design that will not only make the client happy but be a perfect fit for their body shape.
“Sometimes you come across a client who just wants to look good, without any pattern in mind, and you work with them to come up with something, which will make her/him happy. Other times you might come across someone who has seen a pattern in a magazine or from a friend. But I usually work with my clients to check if the design is suitable for them, or if we will need to change a few things here and there to make it perfect for their body. There is nothing that makes me happier than to see my clients looking good,” she said.
Selelo said while she does everything, she is more passionate about designing wedding gowns.
“I love designing wedding gowns, because that is where I get to play around with ideas and be creative,” she added.
Selelo has designed wedding gowns for quite a number of local celebrities. She designed, Kagiso Sento’s wedding dress, when she wed, local star, Odirile ‘Vee’ Sento in 2014. Selelo also designed a wedding gown, for the man of the moment, Kast’s wife, and that of local DJ Gouveia’s wife.
Selelo said she does not rely too much on patterns from magazines and other sources, as she prefers to make something unique for her clients, explaining that she prefers to come up with her own ideas.
She said she is inspired by a number of designers both locally and internationally.
The designers include, Lesedi Matlapeng, Lebanese Fashion Designer, Ellie Saab, popularly known for her elegant Haute Couture and Ready to Wear Collections, and another Lebanese born Fashion Desinger, Zuhair Murad.
Selelo said if all goes well she plans to launch her line end of this year. She has showcased her work at a number of events, including the Masa Wedding Expo where she is part of their mentorship program as a mentor. She noted that in October, she will exhibit her line alongside other reputable local designers who are also mentors on the program.
Selelo said one of the biggest challenges facing designers is that while there is so much talent in the country, most Batswana will still choose to go find designers from across the boarders, while starving equally talented designers in their home country.
She however said, she is determined to grow her brand to reach greater heights and even penetrate the international markets.
The enthusiastic young woman said her biggest supporter has always been her mother, Tebatso Selelo.