By Matṧeliso Phulane
Aspiring entrepreneur Katiso Mosola and his three business partners have come up with an innovative idea to design sneakers that reflect Basotho culture and promote it both locally and internationally.
They established their company Be Nice Authentically (BNA) Mokorotlo Design in 2022, inspired by a South-African brand which promotes Xhosa culture in the modern apparel clothing.
Mosola, who is the company’s marketing and customer specialist, told theReporter in an interview this week that the ‘Be nice’ part on the sneaker means that fashion absolutely makes one to look and feel nice within, while ‘Authenticity’ means being nice while incorporating the Basotho culture as well.
“We saw a dearth in the market, of shoes branded with the ‘mokorotlo’ – a Lesotho symbol. The market is awash with caps, t-shirts and track pants branded with this symbol, but there are no shoes.
“So, we got inspired to incorporate it into the modern sneakers. Our sneakers are comfortable, stylish and durable with unique features that allow air movement to stop sweating, breathable sole for comfortability because the sole can stretch. They can also be used as training shoes for running or worn at any time as fashion,” Mosola said.
He noted that what makes the sneakers even more unique is the shape of the Basotho hat (mokorotlo) which is emblazoned around the entire shoe.
The team outsources material from China because they wanted to go for quality after doing their market research on production of sneakers from South Africa and America.
“We use the laptop for designing. First of all, we discuss the design amongst ourselves as a team before launching it to the market or before going for production.
“After ensuring that the sneakers attract our target market, we then test their response when cusomers see them on social media. If they are interested, that is when we launch the design,” he explained.
Mosola however, said they currently have one design which they are just playing around with, with colours requested and approved by the customer.
Over 40 pairs of sneakers have been made since the business commenced.
Mosola is a Bachelor of Science in environmental health graduate from the National University of Lesotho. Even though he could create jobs or get employed, he was put off by red tape and tedious procedures.
With creativity though, he just required artistic or drawing knowledge, and connecting with someone who could assist with the equipment before designing a shoe and launching it without any licensing processes or even paying any taxes.
Furthermore, Mosola played up the importance and benefits of attending exhibitions where they are able to network with other business people.
“Even though people attend expos to find customers, we go there to interact with prominent people such as the prime minister when he moves around stalls; that way we feel recognised. I am glad that our business is growing and even recognised by the government since it has qualified for the CAFI (Competitiveness and Financial Inclusion) project funded by the state.
“CAFI is a competitiveness and financial inclusion project where they are taking us through the journey of business, especially business establishment, administration and legal requirements. It is going to fund us for six months.
“It is a good programme indeed, looking at where we come from with our business before we got introduced in to the programme. Our business was not even licensed because we thought it was just about the hustle not a real business,” Mosola indicated.
He pointed out that the major challenged they encountered in the beginning was that they did not exactly identify their real target market; and as a result, potential customers loved the shoes but could not afford them. It eventually dawned upon them that their target market was the working class. They can be contacted both on WhatsApp or calls at +266 6912 5371. Or visit their Facebook page: BNA Mokorotlo Design
