Thabo Kopele

Greetings,
I’m Thabo Kopele, I am a 20 year old designer from a small town in the Vaal triangle, south of Johannesburg. I studied fashion design at the London International School of Fashion (LISOF) in Randburg last year and my parents were unable to continue paying for my tuition fees and I was forced to drop out. That didn’t really have much of a negative impact on me, instead it motivated me to work harder and made me even more passionate about what I do.
Fashion to me is about much more than just clothing and looking good. It’s about telling a tangible story that will last for generations to come and that was later proved to me when I got to college and was taught how to conceptualize and interoperate narratives from the past and how to analyse trends as well. Growing up I wasn’t always able to express myself the way I wanted to and fashion was my way of setting statements without saying a single word. I also believe that I was able to bring more of my personality forth through clothing but above all, I’m a huge art fanatic.
In grade 11 (2015), I decided to learn how to sew and my older cousin helped me make my first ever button up shirt. From that point on I was very certain that I wanted to be a designer and I suppose Andrew Carnegie’s law immediately came into effect because I began to be surrounded by likeminded people.
I also worked at the inaugural Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Xperience 2017 as a photographer and that heled me network with all the people I have looked up to since high school. The whole three day event played quite a huge role in my journey because it made me believe in more, and in working harder to achieve my goals.
In the beginning of this year I then decided to start my label and to name it after myself. I made a Spring/Summer range called The Duxberry which was mainly influenced by a place that I got to live in during the first half of 2017 but it didn’t sell at all. The cleanliness and elegance of that gated neighbourhood inspired me greatly however.
The most recent body of work that I have released is a menswear Pre Fall range that was immensely inspired by the sheer will and desire of wanting to be a clean, stylish and contemporary minimalist as well as a morally clean individual all in all.
The shoot of the menswear Pre Fall range was modelled by Siyabonga Zungu, styled by Prince Nhlapo, and photographed by Ofentse Serobatse.

Kind Regards,
Thabo Kopele