06 Jul 2014

The Company is faced with a myriad of challenges, among them high rental bills, salaries and tough competition in the market.

But the youthful owner of Roneto Creations is not deterred and she remains committed to ensuring that her enterprise grows to become a resounding success. Roneto Creations is owned by Kedumetse Mokgatitswane, a 26 year-old young lady who was born and bred in Mochudi.

She is well aware of the phrase “Rome was not built in a day” and this is what keeps her going as she strives for entrepreneurial success. Roneto Creations is a fashion and fabrics enterprise that offers diverse services in the fashion industry, depending on the customers’ needs and demands.

The company offers designs in bridal wear, gowns, suits, German print and school uniforms. Mokgatitswane said she can never back down from her business because she started it from scratch, with nothing but passion and love for fashion. “I have always been passionate about fashion. At school I chose subjects that focused on fashion and fabrics,” she said.

After secondary school, Mokgatitswane enrolled for an Associate Degree in Fashion and Apparel Design at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology and completed her studies in 2010.

She later discovered that the fashion industry is very complex because it needs someone who understands the market and can adapt to rapidly changing fashion trends and varying customers’ needs and demands. But the road to success was rough and bumpy for the young entrepreneur because she sometimes had to survive with very limited finances and resources.

Nevertheless, she said these challenges made her stronger as she got to learn and appreciate the ups and downs of business. “Had I not stayed strong I would have long given up on this business. I managed to survive with the help of God and here I am. But the one thing that kept me going, even in the face of obstacles that seemingly could not be overcome, was my passion for fashion,” she said.

The biggest problem, she said, was lack of support from Batswana, most of whom trust foreign designers over locals. She has now shifted her focus to penetrating the market so that she learns what other designers are doing and what new trends they are following.

But it is not all doom and gloom for Roneto Creations because they enjoy massive support from Bakgatla, who have enabled the business to stay afloat with their appetite for German print.

More business is also flowing from Molefhi Secondary School, where there is always high demand for school uniforms for students.

Like many other youth enterprises in Botswana, Roneto Creations was funded by government through the Youth Development Fund (YDF) to the tune of P68 000 in 2011. Mokgatitswane used the money to buy machinery and start-up materials and she has never looked back since. ENDS