Boitumelo Selepe on what it takes to be a successful fashion designer

When many of the children in her neighbourhood were playing with dolls and cars, Boitumelo was always designing and drawing things in her drawing book. A drawing book which she says was a gift from her dad.

Even in Grade one, Boitumelo says she was already drawing pictures of people wearing nice clothes and shoes.

“Every day when I came back from school, I’d always draw, and I’d even draw stuff I saw from magazines. It was so fun for me to draw and I think my dad saw that, and that’s why he bought me the drawing book,” says Boitumelo.

Although some people might take years to figure out what their purpose and calling are, Boitumelo says from a young age she knew she was destined to be a designer.

“I didn’t wake up one day and think I must now go into the fashion industry,” says Boitumelo.

“It’s a calling. I don’t know what influenced it. I always say fashion chose me. It was something I was born with. I’ve always loved doing this,” says the 31-year-old.

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The young lady who has been running her business for over a decade says she has had to face many challenges to be the phenomenal designer she is today.

The first challenge came from telling her parents that she wanted to be a fashion designer and not a doctor like they hoped she would be. They threatened not to pay for her studies, but after showing them how serious she was, they ended up supporting her dream.

Then there was a challenge of not having funding or equipment to run her business. Boitumelo says she could not afford the machines she wanted because they were too costly. She only started her business with one machine which her mom bought for her.

Another challenge she faced was learning how to deal with clients, a skill she had to learn from earlier on in her career. Apart from people’s skills, she also had to learn to manage her time better and how not to let anyone exploit her.

“You get exploited a lot by people saying we are going to advertise you,” warns Boitumelo.

She adds that to make it in the fashion industry, you must be tough, a lesson she learned from being a contestant on David Tlale’s The Intern TV show.

“It takes a brave heart, a very strong heart. It’s a cut-throat industry. When you are sitting in your own home, working from your own space you think this is it, until you meet the game-changers out there and see how other people can just step on your head to get ahead and other people can throw you under the bus to make a name for themselves and they don’t even care about the next person,” says Boitumelo.

She adds: “you have to be strong to survive in this industry. Each time that you fall, you need to get yourself up and put your crown on and walk on because nobody is there to babysit you.”

Boitumelo says working with David Tlale was a dream come true for her, a dream she had had for many years. But this was not the only dream she has seen materialise. Boitumelo also got to showcase her designs at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. Recently she traveled to Italy to showcase her stunning designs at Torino Fashion Week.

Boitumelo says what makes her designs stand out is that to her “there’s no limit to what can be done.” She is always looking at ways to make designs that no one else has done. She says she draws inspiration from international designers such as Roberto Cavalli, Zac Posen, and Stéphane Rolland.

“I aim high and keep looking at international stuff because that is where I want to take my brand,” says the ambitious Boitumelo.

Her advice to aspiring fashion designers is “no matter what happens you keep getting up because I can assure you it’s not going to be glitz and glam, but your heart, determination, and passion will keep you going. And just don’t give up on that dream because you are capable. Don’t let anyone stop you from being a designer.”

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