16 Feb 2017

Talent comes in different forms and while many are yet to discover theirs, 23-year-old Gorata Morapedi has already discovered that her calling lies in clothes designing.
She is now an epitome of greatness as her designs are bold, elegant, and funky but most importantly they always make a statement, grabs attention and command respect from people.
Her secret, she said lies in the fact that she was raised in a humble home under the supervision of humble parents. “My parents always encouraged me to follow my dreams to the end and to never rest till I make them a reality. From a tender age I had a tendency of never really being satisfied with my clothes, so instead I would re-design them,” she reminisced.
Any mother would acknowledge her child’s effort if it is a job well done and this is exactly what Ms Morapedi’s mother did as she bought her child her first sewing machine. “My mother is my biggest support system and fan so when she bought me my first sewing machine I took advantage of the opportunity and started making lots of designs, especially for her,” she added.
The machine turned an inexperienced young designer into a professional and people started noticing her efforts and encouraged her to pursue a career in fashion designing. “I started designing for clients in 2015 and was invited to showcase at different fashion shows where I  impressed, but also gained new customers and increased my fan base,” she said.
She said she draws inspiration from her clients and always meets people of different characters and personalities. “All this always somehow inspires my next design because I believe a design is always based on a personality and realness from people so my designers always show this aspect,” she said.
Although designing may look easy to an admirer, Ms Morapedi is quick to point out that it requires dedication and hard work to pull off a winner-design that can get people talking.
“Many of my clients are people who love class and want to stand out from the rest of the crowd, the ones that love taking the spotlight and that is why my clothes have to always be daring,” she said.
The fact that she is one of the youngest designers around means her future is promising as she still has many years to learn and improve. “This year is the year where my name will be on the lips of every fashion lover and I have been working on a line that will blow many away. It’s very exciting and will catch a lot of admirers’ attention,” she said. ENDS