Thabo Makhetha-Kwinana (21 September 1987) is a fashion designer known for her designs which fuse African and Western styles, with a focus on Basotho culture.

Early life and education

Thabo Makhetha-Kwinana was born in

Lesotho Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...

, but moved to South Africa when she was three years old and has since lived there. She has lived in Mahikeng, Johannesburg,

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; Zulu: umGungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu ...

as well as

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

, and currently resides in Cape Town Western Cape province of South Africa. Thabo Makhetha studied at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in

where she graduated with a National Diploma in Fashion.

Career and Thabo Makhetha Fashion label

In 2009 she founded her self-named brand at the age of 21, inspired by her grandmother who was a seamstress. It was her mother who saw her talent at an early age and went further to purchase her first sewing machine. Her designs are inspired by her Basotho heritage, with a particular focus on the traditional Basotho blanket, which she incorporates into her clothing designs. She is also known for her use of vibrant African prints and patterns. Thabo Makhetha made her runway debut in 2014 at

Vancouver Fashion Week Vancouver Fashion Week (VFW) is a fashion week in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into ...

in Canada, where she was praised for the quality and creativity of her work for the Kobo ea Bohali "Blanket of Prestige" collection. In 2014 Makhetha-Kwinana was honored with the 2014 Impact Award. In 2015 she showcased at South Africa Fashion Week and had since showcased in

, the United Kingdom and Milan, Johannesburg and the United States of America. In 2016 then editor of

Elle Magazine ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the wo ...

nominated Thabo's starburst coat for Most Beautiful Object in South Africa. She has been honoured by The Nelson Mandela Chambers as one of the Top 40 Under 40 Achievers of 2014, and included in the Mail & Guardian's Top 200 Young South Africans in 2017. In 2020 she was featured on Black Parade, a Platform by US Superstar Beyonce to showcase Africa's top designers. She has been featured in various publications including Vogue, Elle, and

Marie Claire ''Marie Claire'' is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937, followed by the United Kingdom in 1941. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on wo ...

. In 2017, Louis Vuitton caused headlines by producing a men's collection using a similar print as Basotho blanket, a controversial move that sparked accusations of

cultural appropriation Cultural appropriation is the inappropriate or unacknowledged adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity. This can be controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from ...

. Thabo Makhetha-Kwinana took part in artist-in-residence programme of the exhibition: “Breaking Down the Walls" – 150 years of collecting at Iziko South African Museum, which commemorated Africa Day on 25 May 2023. In October 2023, in honour of CTM's 40th birthday, Thabo Makhetha-Kwinana collaborated with CTM, South Africa's leading tile retailer, to launch a limited edition tile collection.

Awards and accomplishments

* Impact Award for Design Excellence - 2014. * Named Top 40 under Nelson Mandela Bay Chamber of Commerce 40 under 40 in 2014. * Elle Magazine nominated the Kobo Starburst Coat for the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa - 2016. * Mail & Guardian in Top 200 Young South Africans - 2017 * Mandela Washington Fellowship (MWF) Alumni 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Makhetha-Kwinana, Thabo Sotho culture South African women fashion designers South African women artists 1987 births Living people Nelson Mandela University alumni