Refentse "Fentse" Mokale is a jewellery designer and multidisciplinary creative. She was born in Phokeng Village, Rustenburg. She runs a brand of art and accessories, officially founded in 2015.
It started as a hobby and grew into Marabou Essentials, a passion-fuelled brand of creative design workshops. Jewellery and artwork that connects the authenticity of traditional African aesthetics with a modern urban culture and artistic flair. It is a unique craft of wearable art, celebrating the freedom of individuality and the artistry in fashion and design.
The artwork and accessories are inspired by the African aesthetic prominence of daring colours, bold prints' distinctiveness and intricate patterns' inventiveness. Clean lines, bold shapes and elegant curves influence the designs.
"The idea of Marabou Essentials came from my desire to make a mark in the world through creativity. My art and accessories are individual pieces inspired by my travels, the connection I make with the people I meet.
"My belief is that our stories need to be told through our lens by any means possible. My love for art and design, and the belief in the importance of storytelling and drive to make new inspiring adventures that fuel what is now Marabou Essentials. They are shared through word of mouth, social media, blogs and newsletters," she said.
Fentse hosts creative design workshops, showcasing how people can create, market and sell the products they have made to sustain themselves. She works with individuals, groups and organisations that want to empower their people through creativity and entrepreneurship.
The creative workshops are also geared towards spreading confidence, facilitating communication, improving team morale, and providing wellness and relaxation using the power of art. The workshop includes building exercises for corporate companies and corporate wellness activities.
She currently runs workshops locally in three different cities like Rustenburg, Pretoria and Johannesburg and has conducted and facilitated workshops internationally in countries like Jordan.
Her accessories have names and meanings. Timbuktu clutch bag inspired by Djinguereber mosque and Tall Lady Earrings inspired by Herero women of Namibia, the earrings mirror the soft silhouette of Herero ankle length frock, and the wall art is a connector between different mixed media dominated primarily by rope, fabric and three dimensional found objects boxed into Woden frames.
She achieved a lot by spreading stories around the world, some of her proudest achievements include having products appear in magazines (Visit Magazine, Sawubona Magazine and Essence Magazine).
She was named part of Design Indaba's Emerging Creatives in 2018 and participated in numerous fashion shows, including Woman 360 (2018) and Lesotho fashion week (2018), where her products were showcased on the runway.
"My design won the grand prize at Lesotho Fashion Week, and because of that, I got invited to participate in Paris Fashion Week in September 2019 and to have my products retailing in France. In my quest for spreading African stories around the world, I have supplied my products to local and international stores in different cities such as Soweto, Sandton, Midrand, Rusternburg, Braamfontein, Los Angeles, France and California," Fentse concluded.
