26 Aug 2014

Mr Oteng Sejwe, a 23-year-old young designer, who started his fashion business at Artesia in the Kgatleng District in 2012, says he treats the challenges of doing business as a learning curve.

Trading by the name Meinkamph Clothing, the passionate young man said he learned his art through mentorship while he was still staying in Gaborone. Mr Sejwe said he never went to school to study fashion and design but he learnt it while at senior school from a woman running the same business at Broadhurst in Gaborone.

He said he started his business towards the end of 2012 driven by a passion for clothing, which gave him hope when times were tough.  Mr Sejwe stated that there was no smooth sailing when he started especially that people considered him too young to do a good job, but he proved them wrong as they were always amazed at his ability to design amazing clothing.

He said his focus was on cultural attire because many people wanted it so he made a lot of it, adding that the fashion business was seasonal and one had to know what was needed for each season. Mr Sejwe further said most of his clients were in Gaborone and he had to travel often to deliver orders.

He said Artesia was a small village where most people were not working and so he cannot rely on them for business; hence he has to look somewhere else because he relies on his business for a living. The young fashioner had been able to grab a few important tenders from big companies which also had increased his customer base.

Usually he said, most people turn him down but when he presents some of his clothing design, they end up considering him to do something for them. Mr Sejwe said he was funded with P62 000 with which he bought machinery and raw materials to kick start his business.

He further said he has hired one employee who helps him when he has gone out to sell and meet new customers. Mr Sejwe said he did not want to miss out on business because if he works alone he would ultimately fail as customers will find no one at the workshop.

He asked Batswana to support young entrepreneurs so that they grow because when they are empowered then they will be able to deliver as expected. He said his plan was to attend more exhibitions where he will showcase his designs and meet other fashion designers to learn more from them.

Among the challenges that the young man faces are expensive raw materials he has to buy especially the German print. He said lack of raw materials manufacturing industries in Botswana hindered their progress as they have to travel far to buy them.

Nevertheless, Mr Sejwe remains optimistic that they have to work with what they have to be successful. BOPA