00:00In a world where data defines our reality, can a nation's identity be reimagined through design?
00:09In Lesotho, one visionary is proving that the future of African fashion is a marriage of
00:14tradition and strategy. The purpose of culture, traditional culture, is basically just to
00:21you know serve as a reference for the continuous evolution of fashion.
00:27How is Katiso-Wakim Tsoho, a designer with a background in data, using both his passion for
00:33culture and his strategic mind to stitch together a new economically viable future for Lesotho?
00:40I know Lesotho is well known of you know blankets and ilwani head, famous head and different other
00:51terrains but I feel like through fashion it can sort of like insinuate a broad scope on how people
00:59perceive the country through bold storytelling, through craftsmanship and also through different silhouettes.
01:08Joaquin's journey into design began not with a sewing needle but with data. Trained in health
01:15information management, his mind is wired to see patterns, analyze systems and build solutions from
01:21the ground up. He is the quiet force behind a design house driven by strategy and a new wave of fashion
01:28designers is emerging alongside him. I believe in coexistence of data and design because data without
01:35design is soulless it has no purpose and it has no end product and also similarly design without information
01:45or data we can be beautiful but it's unsustainable because it has no market reach or purpose you know
01:53so a combination of both means a proper direction and clarity. The industry is quite developing it is
02:01young it is at a close stage and it is nurtured it's a baby that we need to keep ensuring that it meets
02:11the competitiveness of the fashion industry outside of Lesotho. The challenge was to bridge the gap
02:18between Basotho traditions and a brand that could thrive in a global market. For Joaquin the question was
02:25how do you convert cultural pride into a product and a viable business? I think my creators
02:31advantage has always been the fact that I grew up in a very small village called Hamantikwa in
02:38in a Kachasnek district. This is where I experienced the true definition of being Basotho. All the
02:44experiences taught me the culture and the heritage of Basotho so for me that gave me advantage of you know
02:53translating all these ideas because I've experienced and it's easy to to narrate and tell the stories you've lived.
03:00The solution lay in vertical integration. Joaquin didn't just build a brand he built the infrastructure
03:06to support it. By establishing the Diaparo Group he created a system that ensures quality and ethical
03:13production from start to finish. It gives us the power to be agile to respond quickly in terms of like
03:21if we have a concept we can test it immediately. If we have an idea we can run it immediately without
03:29having to go through processes of outsourcing or finding other different factories. Joaquin's vision
03:36has created a ripple effect. His success is not just his own. It's a testament to the power of a
03:42collective. Beke Alesela, the Soto Fashion Week which he founded, provides a platform for a new generation of
03:49Basotho Cretans and the retail market is now embracing premium local brands more than ever.
03:55The reception has been amazing. I mean people love our stuff. They always tell us to do more.
04:00They bless us every day. They tell us that they're very proud of what has become of this brand and I
04:06think mostly they love the way our designs are made. They love also the sense of belonging, the sense of
04:13being part of the family while wearing our brand will make you understand or make people see that
04:20Gemosot which means I am a Mesotho from Lesotho so I think that is mostly what we get from our clothes
04:27and the customers at large. But as popular as Joaquin's garments are, is there a real demand for
04:34Lesotho's rising fashion style? The quality of the brands that we have locally, they've created the
04:42demands because they're able to compete with international brands. Also the creativity amongst
04:48the local designers, they're able to compete with international brands. So that demand has grown
04:53immensely. Also even the product itself, we're able to offer like different products, not just
05:00t-shirts only but from the range of maybe blankets, footwear. So the demand is rapidly growing.
05:08Joaquin's journey shows us that the future of African design is not just a creative pursuit,
05:14but a strategic one. By using his unique blend of cultural insight and data-driven precision,
05:21he's not only creating beautiful garments, but also a new future for himself, his team,
05:27and a new generation of Pasoto creatives.
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