Trudging to Francistown Magistrates Court on a grey, overcast Monday morning, feeling slightly glum at the grim stories that lay in wait, the colourful sight of bright, beaded handbags lifted The Voice reporter’s mood considerably. Deciding to put off the blood and misery of court for half-an-hour, we went in for a closer look. Situated along the side of the street that divides Ntshe House from Galo Mall, the small stall is owned by 25-year-old Kopo Keamogetswe.
Taking matters into her own hands, quite literally, inspired by a TikTok video, Keamogetswe began making her handbags in July last year. “What truly ignited my passion was taking a closer look at how these bags were constructed. As I studied their design and detailed involvement in the creation, my interest deepened into a genuine passion.
It then motivated me to turn this passion into a business,” explains the well-spoken youth. Sourcing her beads from Zambia, Keamogetswe uses a fishline, cloth, and magnetic clips to expertly knit her handbags together. She estimates it takes 24 hours to produce one bag, which come in an array of colours, from luminous pink to dark black, dazzling white to light blue, with purple, yellow, lime, and orange too – all the colours of the rainbow and more!
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Her designs differ in shape and size, with prices ranging between P300 to P350. “I wanted to create something unique in the market. My bags are timeless and gorgeous accessories that complete a woman’s outfit,” says Keamogetswe, who has nine handbags neatly displayed on her tidy little table, including a red heart-shaped one. Although interested pedestrians often stop by her stall to check out the bags, in these tough economic times ‘accessories’ are often sacrificed for ‘necessities’ and sales are hard to come by.
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