POLOKWANE – In Tiwhan Botha’s (13) house, pets are part of the family.
This teenager recently decided to honour his late hedgehog named West, who died in December, by establishing a clothing brand, West Clothing.
“It has been a dream of mine to have my own clothing brand and a week after West’s death, I decided to set fire to my dream and get it going,” Tiwhan explained.
He started by branding T-shirts and later moved on to other items such as hats, hoodies, sweatpants and buffs. There are also stickers and other customised stock.
“I have a children-series and my client base ranges from young to old. In the future, I would like to include shoes and socks as well. If I can get a supplier for dog clothes, I will brand those too. I am saving up to buy my own machines for the printing and embroidery and I have wonderful suppliers and people to do the printing and embroidery, but if I can do it myself, I will be saving a lot.”
Besides being in school and doing the marketing for his clothing brand, Tiwhan also raised money for masks for the Mr Limpopo 2020 project #ModelsvsCovid-19. These masks will be given to the homeless, and people in need. The project is run by Mr Limpopo 2020, Kgeledi Letsoalo Ndaba.
Tiwhan is a hard worker and big dreamer. He plans to become either a heart surgeon or an accountant, but realises he will have to appoint someone for his clothing business. He inherited his business mindset from both his parents, and says the best part of his business is to see his clients happy. In his free time, he relaxes in front of the television, while he also enjoys hunting in the winter.
