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Portrait of fashion Designer Mapitso Thaisi
Design Indaba
Cape Town, South Africa
Mosotho fashion Designer Mapitso Thaisi was selected by Design Indaba to take part in our collaborative initiative with Google Arts & Culture, titled Colours of Africa. Africa is known for its bold, unapologetic use of colour. Stories are told in pigments, tones and hues; a kaleidoscope as diverse as the cultures and peoples of the continent. For the initiative, we asked 60 African creatives to capture the unique spirit of their country in a colour which represents home to them. The projects they have created are personal and distinct stories of Africa, put into images, videos, texts and illustrations. Each artist has also attempted to articulate what being African means to their identity and view of the world.
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- Title: Portrait of fashion Designer Mapitso Thaisi
- Original Source: Design Indaba
- What it Means to be African: To be African is being in the moment, cherishing the slow days and being able to endure the dust. It is listening to the environment and rendering services that seek to preserve the essence of who we are and where we come from.
- Subject: Mapitso Thaisi
- Rationale: I present The Colour Gold as reflected along the golden fields of Lesotho and represented in art forms such as the Mokorotlo - the famous Basotho hat. Even at its lowest point, Lesotho has a base sea level of 1400m, which is the highest lowest-point of any country in the world. On the horizon are the Maluti Mountains, where you see the golden fields of grass where straw is harvested to weave brooms and Basotho hats. The Mokorotlo hat is a significant Basotho symbol – it is both a national treasure in Lesotho and an iconic traditional symbol. I spent most of my childhood nestled within these Maluti Mountains. An ordinary day for a Mosotho child involved playing from morning till dawn. You would wake up and help to sweep the house (if you were a girl) and prepare breakfast. Thereafter, you would be required to go collect water at the river. When the essential house chores were complete, we were free to play in these fields. We had no water or electricity - most of the items we used to play with we created ourselves. As I child in the mountains I learnt to absorb much of my culture, the environment and learn a lot about myself and being creative. My creativity was further inspired by the women in my community who would sit and make Basotho hats or plough the fields during harvest time. This showed me how hardworking the Basotho people are and inspired me to work hard too. We shape our own environment just as much as the environment shapes us. Mokorotlo is a type of straw hat made from grass and used to compliment traditional clothing in the Basotho culture in South Africa and Lesotho. The cone shaped design of the Mokorotlo hat is believed to be inspired by the conical mountain Mount Qiloane, which sits close to Thaba Busiu in Lesotho. Given the lack of job opportunities in the country, most of the people in Lesotho resort to the creative arts that are unique to the culture, like the making of Mokorotlo hats. These are currently produced in Lesotho, mostly by women. The largest consumers of these hats remains the Basotho people in Lesotho and other parts of South Africa, as well as tourists. Making these hats has become an economical activity for Basotho women who produce them and provides a source of income for the families they support. Most of my business ventures and creative pursuits have since been inspired by my childhood in Lesotho. My brand Shweshwekini - which is an active wear and swimwear brand inspired by the bold prints we use in our Basotho Seshweshwe dresses. Inspired by this unique traditional Basotho hat, I developed a print incorporating the Mokorotlo hat design with its golden colours. This print celebrates the creativity the Mokorotlo hat as part of the history and identity of the Basotho people. The blue colour represents that blue skies in Lesotho that give us water and the golden hats represents the rich golden fields that are used for growing crops and the grasses used for weaving.
- Project: Colors of Africa
- Location: Lesotho
- Lead Quote: On the horizon are the Maluti Mountains, where you see the golden fields of grass where straw is harvested to weave brooms and Basotho hats.
- Hex Code: FFF1BC
- Colour Choice: Mokorotlo Gold
- Biography: Mapitso Thaisi is a young fashion and accessory designer with a background in occupational therapy. When she struggled to find athletic wear that flattered her African figure and resembled her African roots, Thaisi decided to try making shweshwe inspired swimwear. She founded her own brand, Shweshwekini Activewear, in 2016 and makes unique pieces that are inspired by her Basotho culture. Thaisi studied Human Rights Law at the University of Cape Town before moving into the world of occupational therapy. Merging contemporary style with traditional textiles, Shweshwekini is Thaisi’s most ambitious project to date. She hopes to continue weaving historic African culture into elegant garments, yet is currently focusing on the business side of her fashion enterprise. She launched her first designs in May 2017 and has won several awards, include the Foschini Sebenza Girl 2017 award, Design Indaba Emerging Creative Class of 2018, Fairlady Santam Women of the Future Top 3 Nominee and the youngest woman in the Mail & Guardian Women Changing South Africa in Business and Entrepreneurship in 2019. She recently showcased her 2020 collection, inspired by her mother, at the AFI Cape Town Fashion Week in March 2020. Thaisi chronicles her life and work movements on her blog, Sotho Girl Diaries.
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