Maseru– customised T-shirts have been a range among teenagers and adults for a while now, what’s there not to like about a unique t-shirt that reflect one’s interests, views and preferences? Recognising the need and want for such clothing items, there are some people that cater specifically for such demand.
The 26 years old Reabetsoe Monyane is a LIPAM alumni with a diploma in Public Administration and Management. Initially he aspired to be a Geologist, unfortunately things did not go as planned so he opted for Public Administration as an alternative. A qualified Public Administrator hopped around submitting job applications from company to company, until he decided to turn his hobby into a business.
“It started way back when I was still in primary, but never took it seriously, it was just a hobby and never thought that that one day I could make cash out of it.”
To start, he mentioned that it took him a lot of practice customizing his own t-shirt and shoes, he later challenged himself in drawing portraits on papers then on fabrics. And from there the whole thing blew up.
Monyane was born and raised in Roma, Maseru. He realised how unemployment is on the rise he then decided to convert his hobby into a business. His location already gave him a competitive advantage, as the National University of Lesotho is located there and his target market is the students. The youth this days is invested in their looks and are very vocal about their views and opinions so I saw it fit to venture in the fashion and art industry. They keep me on my toes, motivated and always thinking out of the box.
“I am very passionate about art so I am always looking into trying new things. Art has always been my biggest passion and over the years I have invested so much time into it. When I seeing my art being appreciated my numerous people around the country and outside its heart-warming and an achievement to me. However it is challenging at times to manage business and school. I Work alone so I solemnly depend on myself on all stages of production, from collection of orders, customizing and delivery. Which I mostly do on a weekend.”
Aside from shoes, Monyane, provides services for other businesses such as painting, cover art and other products. He has also worked with Piggy Wiggly restaurant which was the first place he did wall art and turned out beautiful.
Art has always been an important part of human society since the beginning of time as it helps cultures to unite, provide historical context and boost economic growth. So he always finds inspiration from a Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami.
“I aspire to grow my business, and service a larger market than I am doing now” stated Monyane.