22 Aug 2018

Ms Kelebogile Gontse is one of the few youths who has taken a bold decision to join the shoe manufacturing business and face the challenges associated with it.

Through her company called InStyle Trends which was registered in 2015, the 36-year-old manufactures elegant leather products such as ladies and men’s shoes, school shoes and bags.

Operating from a LEA incubator in Gaborone, the business has so far supplied BoFiNet with shoes for charity while BIUST also boasts of her beautiful leather bags which were for the institution’s corporate activities.

Ms Gontse also has a shoe design called ‘Banana,’ which is made specifically for the youth.  She said  the shoe was culturally rooted, as it was made from calf skin. 

Taking one on her journey, she said her business had been inspired by her mother’s tough upbringing, saying she used to commute from Maisane to attend school in Kanye barefooted. 

“My mother gave up on her schooling as the situation affected her studies and self-esteem. Shoemaking is my way of making a difference in another child’s life who is going through the same hardships. I am pleading with them not to give up on their education,” she said.

Ms Gontse said making a shoe was a process ranging from designing, finishing and packaging. 

“To make a shoe, a design is sketched, various patterns are made for the uppers, lining, insole, heels, soles, stiffeners, backers, and toe puffs. The ideal materials identified for the designs are also cut,” she explained.

She, however, said the final product of the shoe depended on the material used. She said if it had been made from leather, the sole sedge and heel are trimmed and buffed to ensure a smooth finish. 

She noted that to give the craft a finished look, the bottom of the shoe maybe buffed, stained, polished and a different type of pattern is marked on the surface. “The shoe is then taken for branding and packaging,” she said.

Ms Gontse said the company’s targets clients were retail shops, individuals and corporate organisations.  

Her major achievement is the fact that she funded InStyle Trends with her tertiary allowance and has created employment for three people.

She also thanked the Local Enterprises Authority (LEA) as they were supportive and provided her business with continued development support, including training. 

“The exposure and marketing platforms they availed to us are quite beneficial,” she said.

She had resorted to marketing her company through social media platforms such as facebook, exhibitions and expos and some of her future plans include building a factory and being able to employ a large number of women as manufacturing was a male-dominated sector.  

Ms Gontse also aspires to operate a training facility thereby transferring skills and knowledge to Batswana which will be a gateway to boost shoe manufacturing. 

On the flip side, the business is faced with a saturated market especially retail shops and cost implications of importing raw materials as they are limited locally. ENDS