you are here: | Top Billing Features Fashion Designer Khotatso Laurence Tsotetsi
Top Billing Features Fashion Designer Khotatso Laurence Tsotetsi
Hailed by the stars, we chat to fashion design icon Khotatso Tsotetsi.
From a young age, Khotatso Laurence Tsotetsi’s mother knew he was different. He showed no interest in kicking a soccer ball around the field, but instead opted to play with fabric!
Today, his passion has paid off as he holds the title of being one of South Africa’s most exciting, emerging fashion designers.
Based in Pretoria, Khotatso spent four years of his career teaching fashion at the same institution where he studied, the Tshwane University of Technology. It was during this time that he began building his own brand from the ground up into the successful brand that is Tsotetsi KL is today.
Khotatso has dressed the likes of many a celebrity including supermodel Alek Wek & Kelly Khumalo which helped grow his brand from the get-go. When asked by Jade Hubner who the designer admires the most, he humbly answers that it’s his team with whom he’d have no success without.
Jade is taken by Khotatso into his production room where he muses over the fact that much of his inspiration comes from his mother before gifting the Top Billing presenter with one his very creations, specially designed for her to wear for the day.
The fashion industry is labour intensive but Khotatso is grateful for the guidance he still receives from his mentor and favourite lecturer at University - Aubrey Ramatla.
Taking great ideas and turning them into wearable, bespoke pieces of art is what Khotatso excels at. Khotatso invites Jade to an exclusive shoot not just as a spectator but as a model as well.
While his incredibly detailed creations take time to create, they are definitely worth the wait especially when they come to life, something we were fortunate to witness.
Kelly Khumalo isn’t the only celebrity who adores Khotatso’s creations. His creations have also been donned by radio and TV personality Hulisani Ravele and fashion entrepreneur Precious Moloi- Motsepe.
Khothatso is a talented designer who knows what women want - and this could be seen by the fact that Jade didn’t want to take off the dress he borrowed to her for the day!