PART TIME FASHION DESIGNER – FULL TIME LAW STUDENT
EDIBLES BRAND QUEEN
Kutlo Julia Kutjwe is a young Motswana fashion designer. I can confidently call her a household name among teenagers. AVO recently managed to get a fraction of her time to sit down and learn more about the talented young lady.
Kutjwe briefly introduced herself by saying, “My name is Kutlo Julia Kutjwe. I am a 21-year-old part-time fashion designer and full-time law student at the University of Botswana.” She said that in addition to fashion, her course of study is her other passion. Something she has grown to love, to be more precise. Fashion remains her first love.
Like most of her talents, fashion comes naturally to this young designer. She states that her being in fashion was more of a calling. We also cannot say that the fashion industry is exactly saturated at the moment when being more practical. There is always room for anyone who dreams to become a part of it one day.
Kutlo’s brand, Edibles, was launched in 2018. Initially, Edibles was a streetwear brand. The brand has expanded into other aspects of fashion, to cater to everyone’s needs and/or preferences.
I asked for more insight as to why the street style was initially prominent in her brand. Kutlo said her distinct style comes from not being a girly girl. “That explains why I am always wearing pants 99.9% of the time. So, I am into that tomboy-ish style with a touch of girliness, if there is such a word. As I said, I have ventured into other aspects of style, thus I do not want to confine myself to street style only. I have taken the advice that when designing, you should make clothes that you would not wear”, she explained.
The brand’s career highlights to date include showcasing at various fashion shows with her favorite being the Chillstep All black for Black Fashion Show, in collaboration with Empire Botswana. Her work was also retweeted by Boity Thulo.
Kutlo said that her brand’s success so far is a result of a set of skills that include dressmaking and pattern drafting since she does everything on her own. Knowledge about textiles, color coordination, and styling are also helpful in her career and creative process.
Her favorite part of her job is making people look and feel amazing in the garments that she makes for them. In her own words, “I love seeing people happy and knowing that I contributed to that. Another thing I love is not having to stress about what to wear because I make my clothes most of the time.”
The creative industry (and creatives) is very stereotyped and prejudiced. When I asked her what change she would like to see she said, “Society needs to understand that the creative industry is just as important as other industries. I want to see a world where creatives are treated highly just like scientists or engineers or whatever.” In support of this, Kutlo advises people to not be afraid to follow their passions or pursue their talents because of the known stereotypes. “TAKE SPACE” is what she has to say to any aspiring fashion designer and anyone else aspiring to join other creative fields alike.
She wholeheartedly advocates for friendships in the creative industry. With most of her friends being creatives, she highlighted that from experience, those friendships are important as they create a space where they guide and advise each other. One gets to learn a lot from their circle, especially from friends with more experience in the industry.
In conclusion, the talented young lady said, “Drip is forever”.
Poppie Moseki is the Fashion Editor of Focul Media House, mainly Africa's Very Own magazine. She handles all the fashion articles.
