Olebogeng Ledimo: Wonderful world of wearable art
Ledimo’s label is getting ready to turn 20 next year, and his biggest achievement has been keeping his doors open during the pandemic
Image: Steve Tanchel
Merging one-of-a-kind paintings and bespoke tailoring has been part of the DNA of Olebogeng Ledimo’s fashion label House of Olé, which he founded in 2002. The Bloemfontein-born designer has also served as creative director at streetwear brand Loxion Kulca since 2006.
When you set foot in his atelier — which looks more like an art gallery — in Randburg the artwork relays the story of the fashion house before you see the clothes.
Most of the paintings are in black and white, because Ledimo doesn’t dream in colour, he later tells me. This artwork has been the departure point of his collections for the past 19 years.
But for S1981, Ledimo was given a vibrant front page with the colourful South African flag and Nelson Mandela centre stage, a day after Madiba was sworn in as the first Black president of the country on 10 May 1994.
“I had a vision of communicating what Sowetan represents to those who do not know of it. Maybe because of ignorance or because it’s not in your face,” Ledimo explains. “So, if you tell a story in a cool way [young people] will relate and want to know more. My target was not someone who grew up with the newspaper, but someone who doesn’t necessarily know the paper but knows the brand Sowetan.
“I’m hoping that Gen Z will look at the garments and realise how powerful Sowetan is. Growing up in Bloemfontein, we didn’t have much happening in fashion, and Sowetan would report on what happened at events. It used to be our social media, in a way, and it’s important that we preserve that legacy.”
Image: Veli Nhlapo
Ledimo’s label is getting ready to turn 20 next year, and his biggest achievement has been keeping his doors open during the pandemic.
“The biggest mistake for us business people will be not learning from Covid-19, planning better, and having savings,” Ledimo says. “If you’re hit badly, you don’t make couture, you make personal protective equipment (PPE). It shouldn’t be a process of depression in order to realise that you are a creative and when life happens, you stand up and do something about it.
“I don’t know why my colleagues think that if you are a creative there are certain things that are ‘low’ for you. My business never struggled financially during the pandemic, because I did something about it.”
Local designers have created a capsule collection in honour of Sowetan’s 40th anniversary.The affordable luxe collection will be called S1981, derived from the first letter of the Sowetan and the year it was first established (1981).