Building an empire one outfit at a time
Mateme Adolphine Morake is the proud owner of Booba Couture, a boutique that opened this year
POLOKWANE – The businesswoman was born and raised at Ga-Masemola before moving to Flora Park. She is a former Taxila learner who has always had an eye for beautiful things and would decorate clothes to suit her taste.
Although she cannot remember when exactly the fashion bug bit her, she does remember that from a young age she would watch her grandmother doing crochet work.
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“She used to make crochet outfits for me. When she saw how intrigued I was with her work, she taught me how to use the needles. When I was in high school, my mother bought a sewing machine.”
When her mother attended a few classes and decided not to continue with them, Morake took over the use of her machine, disassembling existing garments and stitching it back together in a different way.
“I became naughty and experimental with the machine. I started making clothes for myself in high school. When they would say we should wear civvies, I would get excited and pass by the fabric shop on my way from school to buy fabric.
“I would make myself a funky outfit and I knew I would stand out. I really did not like the clothes from conventional shops, I would change most of my clothes because I didn’t like their normal look, and that always got me into trouble with my mother,” she added.
She remembers a classmate of hers in high school liked her clothes so much that she asked her to make her a few items, and that was how she got her first client.
In pursuit of her passion, she went on to study fashion design.
“When I went to study fashion, I already had clients that would come to me for outfits. I’ve always been selling my own designs.
“After completing my course in fashion design, I did not feel a heavy need to get a job. I wanted to work for myself but down the line, with growing up, I needed more money,” she said.
That was when she landed a job at Curious Pictures, working for Rhythm City as a pattern cutter. She used to design, cut patterns and make sure that the clothes fit the cast members well.
However, that wasn’t her passion, as her life plan was not to work for somebody, so she decided to build up her own business from home.
She co-runs another business with her husband, called Morake Design House which was founded in 2010.
Her decision has paid off as she now owns Booba Couture, a boutique that opened this year. “It is fulfilling to have the first Booba Couture store in my home town before anywhere else. The future is bright. There are amazing other plans in store, but what is important now is to grow the Booba brand,” she said.
She advises young people following their dreams to never give up.
“Do what you love and be persistent. You can be pregnant with a dream for many years, and one day it bears fruit. A lot of people give up at the turning point, don’t make that mistake,” she concluded.
