23 Apr 2015

Serge Kabisoso is no stranger to the international fashion circles, with more than a decade of being a professional model for prestigious labels, such as Zenith watches and being the face of Barclays Bank Barclay card in 2008, and the face of Blue Ice Pan African in 2010.

The man in question will bring all eyes to Botswana this Saturday, April 25 as fashion enthusiasts will be looking forward to the prestigious fashion road show, Fashion without Borders.

He is Efigy Productions CEO and Fashion without Borders founder, and he made his first debut in the fashion circles back in 2004 by being Mr Vaal Technical College now known as Vaal University of Technology.

Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and based in South Africa, Serge Kabisoso always knew he would be a star one day, growing up watching fashion shows and fashion channels.

His dream became true when he came to South Africa to study and was spotted by the famous fashion star David Tlale who was his inspiration, mentor, stylist and very close friend.

He won best dressed in 2002 at a local show wearing one of David Tlale’s designs and the pair made amicable men’s wear modelled by Kabisoso.

Growing up, he said he imagined his face on a catalogue fashion magazine, or a big billboard in a mall, and David Tlale with his experience and brand name opened doors for him from Johannesburg to New York.

His favourite clothing item is a suit as he mentioned that a tailor made suit is a men’s best friend and one has to always have one.

“I have a pair of suits in my car because I never know if I may need one for a meeting with a client, work or an event,” he said with a giggle.

In addition, Kabisoso mentioned that one of the major reasons why they brought the show to Botswana was because the co-founder Ms Tebo Bawena is a proud Motswana and they felt it was high time Batswana fashion designers and models were given a platform to showcase their talent and exquisite designs to Africa and the rest of the world.

“We want to help groom young and upcoming models and designers to be able to compete internationally and also this road show is part of many that will grace the shores of Africa, as we have already hosted two shows in South Africa, we are hosting a few in countries such as Namibia, Zimbabwe after Botswana,” he says.

He added that this will be a ground breaking event for most models’ careers and they will continue with them giving them the necessary skills and expertise to survive in the small yet brutal fashion industry.

Also, he said that this will be an opportunity for the interaction of most cultures and the couture of the Setswana culture and othermodels and designers from countries as far as Nigeria.

Kabisoso also stated that his modelling experience and production expertise will make the show a success and he would advise local models to always look the part, dress fashionably, boost their confidence and try to look and make different, also for designers to make unique and diverse designs.

He urged designers to think outside the box and go beyond fashion expectations, as the theme of the show will be “Crazy and unconventional.”

“Designers should do something different and this show will test them and see how far they can go it terms of creativity and varied designs,” he said.

The road show is scheduled to be held at the Liban Mediterranean Cuisine at the Central Business District (CBD) in Gaborone, from 7pm and tickets go for P700 VIP, P300 advanced and P350 at the venue.

It will include entertainment by local artists at the same time guests whom will be treated to the trendiest of designs, some of which will be available for sale at the venue the show stopper at the show will none other than Nigerian renowned designer Kobo Couture. ENDS