Fashion’s rain queen: Trenery crowns royal-inspired entrant

The glamorous world of Top Billing may have opened doors to luxuries many could only dream of, but for interior designer Glorinah Khutso Mabaso it gave expression to her talent. So much so, she won first place in the Trenery Print Design Competition, which called for unique prints that would be featured in its collection.

With her distinct geometrical take on interiors and art, Mabaso has planted a foot in the world of fashion — a field she has often dreamt of dabbling in.

Fearing the pressure of going up against fashion designers, a competitive Mabaso entered 16 different designs, morphing the colour ways, while still keeping her theme. Mabaso’s winning collection, called Rain Maker, looked to the history of the first rain queen of the Balobedu tribe in Limpopo, attempting to reinterpret how she would look in the modern world. Likening it to the preparation many actors often take on when playing a role, Mabaso immersed herself in the history of the tribe and its throne.

“I watched a lot of YouTube videos and listened to a lot of music from the rain-dance ritual, playing close attention to the detail of the clothing. Sometimes I would close my eyes and listen to the beating of the drum and whistles,” says Mabaso.

She then used these elements to break down key notes she could use for the design. Mabaso was also inspired by the movement of rain droplets on glass windows, reinterpreting them as linear shapes rather than circular blots.

Mabaso’s love for geometrical shapes stems from the many African tribes that have influenced her work. Always looking to the continent, Mabaso tries to reinterpret them in modern spaces and forms, calling it “modern African luxury”.

Along with her Rain Maker designs being featured in Trenery’s newest collection, Mabaso has won a two-week course in print patterns and trends at the Paris College of Art.

While she is still working on her own personal projects, Mabaso says there a number of local designers with whom she would love to work. Seeing herself as the female version of Laduma Ngxokolo, MaXhosa tops her list, while Rich Factory and Rich Mnisi’s designs have greatly inspired her.