May Masterclass

MAY MASTERCLASS

Fashion Forward Africa: Création Botswana Hosts May Masterclass on Building Sustainable & Impactful Brands

On Saturday, 17 May 2025, Création Botswana hosted one of its most anticipated public events of the year, the masterclass “Fashion Forward Africa: Building Sustainable & Impactful Brands.” Held at the London College of International Business Studies (LCIBS), the masterclass brought together three powerhouse experts shaping the future of African fashion: Nelly Wandji, Zara Odu, and Bonolo Moleme.

This high-impact session marked the culmination of a full week of intensive workshops on brand development, sustainability, circularity, storytelling, and business strategy. As with all Création Botswana masterclasses, the Saturday public event provided an opportunity for the wider creative community to engage with the programme’s experts, while beneficiaries continued with deeper, technical sessions afterward.

A Week of Skill-Building: Brand Development, Sustainability & Circular Fashion

Before the public masterclass, beneficiaries spent five days in a structured educational programme led by Nelly Wandji, Zara Odu, and Benice Ruiters. The workshop series covered essential topics in building globally competitive African brands, including:

Professional & Personal Development

Led by Benice Ruiters

Participants strengthened their leadership, communication, and strategic planning capabilities—key skills for navigating the complexities of the creative economy.

From Linear to Circular: Principles of Circularity in Africa

Led by Zara Odu

Designers rethought waste, production cycles, and long-term sustainability, exploring how African brands can adopt circular models that preserve resources, elevate artisanship, and drive innovation.

Customer-Centric Design

Led by Bonolo Moleme

Throughout the week, Bonolo guided designers through customer and supplier management, internal team culture, investor relationships, and the business realities behind fashion retail.
The workshop week offered a rare blend of creativity, strategic thinking, and practical mentorship, laying the groundwork for Saturday’s masterclass.

Fashion Forward Africa: Building Sustainable & Impactful Brands

The Saturday masterclass brought together emerging designers, industry professionals, students, and fashion enthusiasts for an inspirational morning of learning from three industry leaders shaping Africa's fashion future. Held at LCIBS, the event opened with networking and coffee, followed by a powerful session exploring sustainability, circularity, brand identity, and long-term business strategy in the African context.

MEET THE EXPERTS WHO LED THE MASTERCLASS

Nelly Wandji
Brand Strategist | Founder of MoonLook | Expert in African Luxury Branding

Nelly Wandji is internationally recognised for elevating contemporary African design through modern luxury branding. As the founder of MoonLook, she champions African excellence through storytelling, retail strategy, and cross-cultural collaboration.

At the masterclass, Nelly explored:

The foundations of creating a strong brand identity
The importance of purposeful storytelling
How African brands can position themselves as global luxury players
Building brands that balance emotion, values, and market relevance

Her session reminded designers that branding is not just visual—it is strategic, emotional, and deeply rooted in purpose.

In her segment, Zara unpacked:

How circularity can reshape Africa’s fashion economy
Practical ways designers can implement sustainable models
The role of storytelling in communicating sustainability
Innovations emerging across African fashion ecosystems

Zara’s insights gave designers a roadmap for building brands that are environmentally conscious, socially responsible, and economically resilient.

Zara Odu
Brand Consultant | Founder of Designers Consociate & Roundabout | Circular Fashion Specialist

A leading voice in African sustainability, Zara Odu works across development agencies, major retailers, and design institutions to build circular systems and market access pathways for African businesses

Bonolo Moleme
Fashion Business Strategist | Menswear Merchandise Manager at Cotton On

With over 20 years in fashion retail, Bonolo Moleme bridges the gap between creative vision and commercial success. He has led buying strategies, managed complex vendor relationships, and developed scalable systems for product development.

Bonolo’s contribution focused on:

Understanding customers and suppliers
Navigating retail expectations
Building strong internal teams and company culture
Preparing brands for large-scale market entry

His session grounded the masterclass in real-world business logic, providing clarity on what it takes to grow beyond artisanal production into structured fashion enterprises

A Morning of Insight, Reflection & Cross-Industry Dialogue

Participants engaged the panel with questions about:

Sustainable sourcing
Brand storytelling
Global market entry
Circular design practices
Retail margins and scaling
Leadership and team structure

The discussions were candid, practical, and tailored to African realities, highlighting opportunities unique to the continent’s creative industries.

The masterclass closed with a networking coffee session, allowing designers to connect with the experts, peers, and emerging industry players.Zara’s insights gave designers a roadmap for building brands that are environmentally conscious, socially responsible, and economically resilient.

AFTERNOON SESSIONS FOR BENEFICIARIES

Following the public event, programme beneficiaries continued with specialized training:

Branding & Pitch Takeaways with Nelly Wandji
Circular Design & Innovation with Zara Odu
Business Relationships & Team Culture with Bonolo Moleme

These sessions helped designers integrate morning insights into their own businesses and prepare for upcoming programme milestones.

A Transformative Week for Botswana’s Fashion Entrepreneurs

The May workshop and masterclass delivered a powerful combination of strategic learning, sustainable thinking, and brand refinement. Designers walked away with:

Stronger brand clarity
Deeper understanding of sustainability and circularity
Improved communication and pitching skills
Practical tools for team and stakeholder management
Renewed motivation and industry perspective

“Fashion Forward Africa” was not just a masterclass—it was a catalyst for purposeful, resilient, and future-focused brand building across Botswana’s fashion industry.