Fashion Without Borders is set to return to South Africa for its fifth instalment. This time around, the showcase will be hosted over a two-day period from 6 to 7 September at the Park Inn Hotel, in Sandton, the meeting point for 20 fashion designers and 40 models from across the African continent.
Themed, My Africa, this year’s Fashion Without Borders will see a blend of new talent, emerging and established names, with a talent list that includes the likes of an 11-yearold fashion designer to seasoned designers and businesswomen such as Glen Austin resident, Sane Ratlhogo. The self-taught designer is the owner of KISS Afrothentic, an African clothing brand that prides itself in bringing an elegant spin to African heritage and design.
Ratlhogo said her passion for designing stems from her love for beautiful, unique and stylish clothing. Her passion saw her leave the comfort of the corporate world in pursuit of design honours at the Design School of South Africa “It was just a matter of me realising who I was as a person.
I was in the corporate world for a while and then I became a mother – at the end of the day I felt like I lost myself and I had to follow what I was passionate about,” she said. Being a person with a creative eye pushed her to try her hand at interior decorating and design, however, her love for looking good and being comfortable pushed her to design her own clothes with little to no fashion design experience – ending up with a mini collection of Afrothentic clothing.
“It started as a hobby before it became a passion and now I’m into it full time. This creativity is in-born and it’s always been there at the back of my mind and it was something that had to be discovered.” Ratlhogo’s journey through fashion was not only a discovery of her creative side but a discovery of herself and a move towards appreciating things about herself – she has gone from having insecurities about wearing dresses to creating clothing that allows people to embrace and show off who they are.
Fashion Without Borders is set to include pop-up stalls, industryrelated workshops and opportunities that will allow patrons to interact with both local and Southern African Development Community region designers. “I feel very honoured and humbled to have been selected by Fashion Without Borders to showcase at their highly prestigious event that recognizes, celebrates and unite African talent under one stage.
A lot of love, passion and thought went to my KISS Afrothentic Collection and I feel it’s my way of showing the world who I am both personally and professionally.” Ratlhogo said her collection will be a celebration of Africa through its use of colour, fabric, texture and designs.
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