When Kelebogile Mocuminyane was younger, she loved crafts and would over the years, dabble in making jewellery. Maun born and bred Kele, as she’s affectionately known to her nearest and dearest, had always liked crafts, but it didn’t all come together for her until 2013 when she started taking jewellery making more seriously.
The mother of three boys had always had a passing interest in crafts but would never have known she’d one day be eking a living out of it. Luckily for her, a local older lady with years of experience working with beads was all too happy to show her the ropes. Eager to retain everything she learnt, Kele started designing and making jewellery. With word spreading like wildfire about her products, it wasn’t long before Maun people discovered her jewellery and started buying it.
However, Kele’s creativity didn’t stop there. Last year, with the world in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, she made good use of her time during the very first lockdown, proving the accuracy of the age-old expression, “out of adversity comes opportunity.” Around the time of the first lockdown, a mantra was born, almost taunting people all over Botswana; “If you emerge out of lockdown without having learnt a new skill or set up a side hustle, you’ll have let yourself down massively!” The mantra went viral, egging us all from deep within the crevices of various social media platforms.
Not one to sit twiddling her thumbs anyway, Kele saw this as just the opportunity to venture into the unknown and do just that. She took to YouTube to learn how to make authentic leather bags, mostly gorgeous satchels. Kele’s bags are very eye-catching and bursting with colour. The first thing that drew me to them was the vibrant colours, the rich earth tones that are very synonymous with Africa. It makes sense that she draws inspiration from Botswana and Africa as a whole.
Challenges
Kele makes all her bags with authentic locally sourced leather. However, the beads and needles she uses to make her stunning jewellery come from South Africa, as she’s not found any local suppliers. Restrictions on movement and neighbouring South Africa even harder hit by COVID have meant that business has slowed right down.
Modest Kele says although she turns out gorgeous accessories, she’s not formally trained to work leather and is still far from being the complete article. She insists she’s still learning and has yet to master creating inside pockets and lining for the bags. Also, she says her not being an expert can sometimes lead to waste when she makes mistakes and then has to start over again. But she’s not for one minute letting that dampen her spirit. Quite the opposite – she sees this as a challenge to keep pouring all her energy into working hard until she gets it right.
“While I love working on the bags, making them by hand is very labour-intensive. I guess in that sense, you could say the complexity that comes with that makes what I do more rewarding and fulfilling.
When I’m done designing and making an item, looking at the finished product fills me with joy and pride so deep, it’s indescribable.
I have found a love for making bags that I never thought would surpass my passion for jewellery making!”
How the bags came about
While Kele loves designing her bags, a lot of blood and sweat go into it, mainly because she painstakingly makes each of the items by hand. Her designs lean very heavily on Botswana and African culture, but sometimes her eye is drawn to what she sees on the internet and in magazines.
To make an item, she uses manila paper to cut the shape of the bag, cuts the leather into the required shape, punches the sewing tracks and brands it. Then she dyes the item and begins the laborious task of meticulously sewing the bag. She completes the whole process by filing down and smoothing out any uneven areas to give a polished look.
Kele says the sewing part takes the longest but admits with a machine it would be a breeze. Not only that, the workmanship would be more polished and refined.
Kele’s product range includes colourful jewellery, key rings, bags, wallets, sandals, belts and leather bow ties. Her big five-inspired key rings, ideal for souvenirs, are a big hit with tourists. The items range from 50-Pula($) up to 1500-Pula ($150). *USD prices will fluctuate based on the exchange rate on any given day.
Asked if she’d approached any of the government agencies for financial assistance, Kele said she’d previously engaged the Botswana and Investment and Trace Centre. However, that didn’t pan out quite how she’d hoped. While the knock-back left her somewhat discouraged, it didn’t dim the fire in her belly. Before COVID-19, she’d run a stall at the BBS Mall and was planning to seek help from CEDA. That is still very much in the pipeline, except that with the pandemic, her business just like many others all over the world, has taken a knock. She fully intends to pursue this once COVID eases off.
That being the case, Kele has had to tighten her belt as she makes just enough to survive hand to mouth, hardly the profit-making business she envisaged. She has an eclectic mix of customers mainly made up of locals, ex-pats and tourists, all across a wide cross-section of ages and backgrounds. The global COVID travel restrictions have not helped at all. While the pandemic rages on, she has had to rethink her strategy and now regularly shuttles between Maun and Gaborone. She comes to Gaborone to sell her wares at the local markets and then returns home to Maun, about 1000 km away, to resume talks with prospective business partners.
She’s currently in talks with various safari tour operators, who are known to have an eye for unique but beautifully crafted items, about supplying them with bespoke leather pieces. She is quick to explain, however, she isn’t yet where she wants to be in terms of possessing the range of skills she needs to open up her bespoke offer to a wider market.
Claim to fame – if it’s good for the First lady!
Recently, Kele was in the right place at the right time when she received an enquiry from a very unlikely customer. She was attending a Botswana Power Corporation event in Maun at which the First Lady, Neo Masisi was the guest of honour. In desperate need of an authentic gift fit for a First Lady from the area, Kele’s bags caught BPC’s attention. After establishing Kele had indeed made the bags, they promptly chose a classy but understated beige clutch bag for her (shown below). Having seen the gorgeous piece, we can’t wait to spot the First Lady rocking it!
Where to find Crafts and Falls bags and accessories
At the time of the interview, Kele had no online presence but said she was in the process of setting up a Facebook page. Until now, she has relied heavily on word of mouth and local markets. In the 21st Century when access to the internet has become a basic necessity, Botswana internet rates cost the bomb, and sadly, not everyone can afford them.
The Coronavirus pandemic, which continues to wreak havoc with our lives and livelihoods – some families are on heavily reduced salaries, salaries that are generally extremely low anyway – has only worsened the situation. Some people are even worse off because they have been laid off as business after business collapses. And then, of course, there’s the severe lack of jobs, which was already a problem even before COVID hit.
Fo now, if you are interested in Kele’s products, you can enquire by reaching her directly on (+267) 74 666 999.
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Article by Your Botswana writer
Photo credits: Kelebogile Mmalee
