Limpopo trio takes on fashion industry
The talented trio, Sinah Mothiba, Malebo Sekwaila and Karabo Kgosana, believe fashion and culture unites people which led them to develop their fashion brand, BlackFrog.
POLOKWANE – BlackFrog, the trio from Limpopo explained, operates on three pillars of fashion; designing, photography and marketing.
The founder and CEO of the company, Karabo (21) is a fresh graduate in international logistics trade and transport from the College for Business and Maritime Studies in Johannesburg. He explained he has always had a love and passion for fashion and the fashion industry. “I remember growing up I loved wearing branded clothes because I wanted to look unique and different from the other kids on my block. For me fashion brings pure joy and unites people; when someone purchases a certain brand of clothing they automatically develop a connection, bond and relationship with the owner of that brand and ultimately with the rest of the people who wear the same brand,” he explained.
His love for fashion inspired him to pursue a career in the field, he completed his tertiary education as a fall-back.
“The brand BlackFrog represents the good in every bad and the bad in every good, meaning one must always leave room for disappointment and improvement as there is always room to grow in life.”
Karabo started BlackFrog in 2010 while still in high school with two friends, Sinah, the model, promoter and marketing advisor, and Malebo Sekwaila as a personal photographer. The fashion and designing part of the industry deals with with limited editions where the trio say that they make certain that they do not produce an item more than three times.
They started off selling beanies and recently moved up to a clothing range which they supply to three big retailers in Johannesburg where Karabo is now based. They hope to move some of their merchandise to their clients in Limpopo as well in order to grow the brand.
Among the major challenges the trio said they encounter daily as fashion stylists, designers and brand ambassadors include the lack of machinery and working space to make their clothing items. This is especially challenging when they receive many orders in a short space of time. “Despite these challenges we still manage to meet deadlines and deliver products to clients as per request. We do our own marketing by attending fashion shows and exhibitions where we open pop-up stores. One event in particular we look forward to attending is the upcoming Fashion Without Borders fashion event on 10 and 11 November in the Vaal in Gauteng. Here we will continue to self-market, grow our brand and set the trends high,” he concluded.
