Thato ‘Mercury’ Tlotleng, a 24-year-old who was born and bred in Borakalalo, Zeerust, is a self-taught artist with a bit of motivation from his father and the belief that he was born with his artistic talent. “The first that I drew in my life was a crocodile for my grade 1 project and it took me five tries to perfect it.” says Mercury. This young maestro has two well-recognized brands, namely: Lost Timber and Mercury Films. “In high school, I had an idea to start a brand using my talent as something that will benefit me in the future, so I started drawing clothes,” he added.
Mercury’s first brand Lost Timber which is a clothing brand was founded in 2017 and is now a registered trademark. Lost Timber for Mercury represented how Africans are disengaging with their culture and adopting foreign cultures. “The slogan that I came up with for Lost Timber was: An African timber that never collapses. Meaning culture never dies, as long as we remember our roots”, he said.
Mercury gave his first printed t-shirts of Lost Timber away for free in his community and gave some to a local artist (Obakeng ‘Factual’) who wore the t-shirt at the GAMA awards and that is where Lost Timber was first exposed. He started printing bucket hats, caps, beanies, trousers and hoodies.
“My brand received a big break in 2019 when I attended a workshop around Zeerust that included a lot of celebrities,” he added. Late 2019, Mercury was approached by the Cultural Arts & Traditional Affairs (CATA) department to do a mural of Mike Matladi at the multi-purpose centre and that was yet another one of his big breaks and from there he did school emblems whilst keeping Lost Timber afloat. His second brand ‘Mercury films’ was developed in 2020 when he met a local professional photographer (Thapelo Seleke) who taught him how to shoot pictures and from there Mercury taught himself how to also record videos. “I am currently recognized as one of the best photographers and videographers around Zeerust, I shoot at local events and talk shows,” said Mercury.
“My advice to young and upcoming entrepreneurs is that they must be determined, committed, consistent and persistent because if you want to go far you must love and maintain what you do in all aspects, let discouragements and negative feedback motivate you than break you”.- Mercury
