1. Tell us about yourself?
My name is Aone Gogontle Ditirwa! I come from Bobonong, born into a loving family of 6. I'm a third year medical student with a passion in the ethical aspect of the field,I'm also a personal style blogger, a fashion columnist, a freelance makeup artist and a self taught shoe designer!
2.
Tell us
about your business?
My brand R'alocha Luxury Shoes is newly founded and thrives on the co-existence of style and comfort. I design high end and authentic heels for women and my current collection that is due to be released in June is a range of block heels featuring various prints and textures. The shoes will be available for purchase country wide and world wide by means of a shopping website for international buyers and at The Boutique Concept Store for local buyers.
3.
What
does it mean to be a fashion entrepreneur and what are some of the challenges
you face being an entrepreneur in the fashion industry?
Fashion Entrepreneurship is basically the idea of being appreciated and supported, financially or otherwise for your craft and creativity. I've found that the greatest challenge for any creative is getting people to believe in the tangibility of their dream especially when the brand is in its infancy! It takes a long time for people to trust your brand as a new fashionpreneur and unfortunately it may take up to years to finally be able to prove oneself to the market in question.
4. The Fashion industry in Botswana is still seen as a hobby in Botswana and not a business venture moreover not a sector that could contribute to the economy of Botswana, what reason could this be, and secondly how can we move from this outlook to the fashion industry in Botswana being taken commercially serious.
I've come to realize that Botswana is finally at a place where she's willing to allow and make room for a flourishing fashion industry. There are quite a number of advanced local fashion bloggers with good web traffic and incredible content, fashion designers are striving to make their mark across boarders, we finally understand the purpose of stylists, we'v really come a long way from when fashion was just a hobby. Yes there's room for improvement but perhaps the harder we push and the more we find innovative ways of practically benefiting our nation through our creativity, then we might reach desired heights. They say although a singer sings with her own voice it's for the people's ears. In a similar sense creatives need to consider the needs and expectations of the market.
5.
As a
woman entrepreneur, what advice could you give to other young women who would
like to start a business?
My advice to women looking to venture into business is to start NOW. There really is no better time. Women are natural planners, we take time planning but sometimes planning for too long turns into procrastination. And in the midst of procrastinating we create excuses, either you're too young, too broke or just too afraid.The key is passion. It's okay to start small, it's okay to try and fail as long as you try again, It's okay to make a loss on your first venture but the greatest tragedy is never having trusted your own creativity and waiting too long till you no longer have the confidence to get started.
6. What words do you live by to get you through to the next day?
My mantra is consistent and simple; "Pray hard, Work Hard, Wait your turn". Prayer first because God is always at the forefront of all my endeavors, hard work because nothing that is worthwhile will come easy and lastly timing, sometimes things don't go our way simply because it's not yet our time.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Personal pages:
Insta- @aonethefashionpoet
Facebook- Aone Ditirwa
Email- aone.ditirwa3@gmail.com
www.aonethefashionpoet.com
Business:
Insta- @r_alocha
Facebook page- R'alocha Luxury Shoes
No comments
Post a Comment