SELECTED ARTISTS
Lesiba Mabitsela
Fashion Artist, Lesiba Mabitsela, currently resides in Cape Town, South Africa. Straight after completing a Bachelors Degree in Fashion Design & Technology at the Tshwane University of Technology, Mabitsela held the position of Junior Designer for St. Lorient Fashion & Art Gallery. He would later be drawn to take up an apprenticeship with world-renowned fashion designer Gavin Rajah. He has been involved with work in the arts & fashion industry as he continues to explore other mediums of expression in an attempt to rethink & revise the stagnation of the fashion empire, both in his native Africa & abroad. His fourth year thesis focused primarily on lost African clothing traditions and textile techniques. He continued his practical studies in this world while dwelling into the complexities of sublime aesthetics and the importance of culture and tradition. Theses ideas grew further with his migration to the Western Cape in June 2011 where a difference in culture (such as the West African craft tourism business & Cape Malay population in Cape Town) & interactions with fellow creatives influenced this work heavily.
Lesiba Mabitsela examines how art has become a medium in which he uses to express these issues. The use of 'Storm Blankets' from PEP stores was a result of subconsciously being exposed to the harsh realities of living in Cape Town. Lesiba Mabitsela Studio Fall/Winter 2014 Capsule Collection is a commercial project which has come about through juxtaposition of all his cultural influences; Islam, Africa, Drape, Modernism, Gender, Modesty & Poverty.