Lesotho Fashion Week beckons

Seabata Mahao

It was all about glitz and glamour last weekend when Lesotho Fashion Week (LSFW) announced its collaboration with Pere Dstv Agency and Connected Services ahead of this year’s instalment of the FSFW Autumn Winter ’23.

This year’s show is scheduled to take place from February 17 to 19, at The Butcher in Khubetsoana.

LSFW brand ambassador, Tšepang Teba, told Newsday that the 2023 event would feature over 20 international fashion designers from South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Ghana and Nigeria, and Lesotho showcasing their women’s wear collections.

Teba highlighted that guests can expect a weekend full of activities aimed at showcasing creative and authentic African fashion.

He said this year’s show will also be jam-packed with business seminars, presentations, exhibitions, photo shoots, fashion films, and runway shows within the three-day period. 

He said there will also be an opening cocktail night targeting industry players and emerging designers on February 17, followed by a Beauty Forum, which is a seminar for beauty brands, influencers, entrepreneurs, and fashion enthusiasts where they will have the opportunity to engage with the audience about their products and services.

“It is definitely no secret that the global fashion industry has a destructive impact on our environment, is a producer of large amounts of waste and is a contributor to climate change.

“As consumers, we are now more aware than ever before of the eye-watering levels of carbon emissions released by the industry, the vast amounts of clothing that end up in landfill each year, or the questions raised over how and who made the garments we wear. In response to demands for sustainable fashion, we decided to introduce the theme Slow Fashion.

“This is how we will be playing our part in reducing the industry’s environmental impact. The future of the planet, and fashion, depend on it,” he emphasised.

Some of the showcasing Fashion Designers include Bonono Merchants (Lesotho), KimaD ‘Lesotho’, Suitcase Fashion Avenue ‘South Africa’, IRHALI ‘South Africa’, Black Excellence Clothing ‘Botswana’, Lina ‘Lesotho’ and PEX Lifestyle ‘South Africa’.

These collections will be worn by some of the top models in Lesotho, including Thato Nkuebe the Face of LSFW 2023, Charlene McPherson the Face of LSFW 2020, and Refiloe Lefothane, who is Miss World Lesotho 2022 and Miss Lesotho 2022 1st runner up.

There will also be six additional runway models from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Sudan, Kenya and Ghana.

Teba said LSFW, is the most effective retail platform in the country for designers.

He said it is an ecosystem that brings together retailers, designers, media, celebrities and consumers to a common platform and opens its doors to retail.

“Especially today when everything is digitalized, the gap between touching and feeling the clothes prior to buying has reduced. But at Lesotho Fashion Week, consumers can instantly make purchases right after the collection has been showcased for the very first time.”

He also stated that since its inception, the main objective of LSFW has always been to promote the artistic and innovative work of Basotho designers.  

He said they offer a premium platform to promote talent and opportunity to reach greater heights through maximum exposure, both on the African continent and internationally.

“LSFW does not just focus on glitz and glamour. We exist for the bigger purpose of using fashion as a medium that brings about change by addressing the issue of tolerance and diversity”, Teba said.

“Lesotho Fashion Week also helps to creates jobs. The fashion talents that we work with are not only limited to designers. Each year, we work with a lot of fashion geniuses ranging from models, stylists, photographers, videographers, and production and PR professionals among others.”

“Organising a fashion week in Lesotho continues to help create jobs for these people. Lastly, as done in other parts of the world, we also run a series of initiatives all year round that award fresh, groundbreaking and up-to-the-minute designers with international exposure, mentorship and grants to grow their fashion brands while creating commercially sustainable businesses,” he said.

Tickets for the show are available at DSTV at Pioneer Mall or Maseru Mall in Maseru. Prices range from M60 for students; M100 for the general public and M250 for VIP guests.