Batho Fashion Week

Batho Fashion Week is the only fashion week in Botswana, a 3 days clothing show celebrating fashion designers, models, and creatives from all over the world. It takes place every year around July/August. Batho Fashion Week is meant to diversify the economy of Botswana (tourism sector) by tapping into an area that remains very limited, FASHION TOURISM. This event is held annually in Kasane, where four countries meet (Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Zambia), and most visited tourist town by international travelers because of its diverse wildlife. Although Kasane has been the number one destination for tourists in Botswana for a safari experience, especially from June- August peak season, the local community has not benefited much, except as employees in the tourism and hospitality industry. These are communities that have also greatly suffered from human-wildlife conflict, losing lives and their livelihoods on many occasions. Batho Fashion was founded in 2021, as a platform to empower local communities to benefit from tourism in a lasting way and diversify the economy from wildlife only to fashion tourism. Part of the proceeds from this annual event goes towards supporting families that have been affected by human-wildlife conflict. As a former international model who has participated in Mercedes Benz Fashion Weeks, London, Milan, and Paris fashion weeks, my vision is to transform Kasane into an international city to be widely recognized for both wildlife and fashion tourism. The global fashion industry is valued at $1.53 trillion as of 2022 (Statista, 2023). We feature 15 designers from across the globe and 30 models. At this event, one can enjoy the fusion of African culture with fashion in trying to preserve and promote our African dynamic culture.