Mr&Mrs: Where are you from?
Mannini Mokhothu: Haeso ke Semonkong village - Lesotho
Mannini Mokhothu: Haeso ke Semonkong village - Lesotho
Mr&Mrs: Where do you live now?
M.M.: Cape Town
M.M.: Cape Town
Mr&Mrs: What age are you?
M.M.: 31
M.M.: 31
Mr&Mrs: What made you decide to bring out a footwear
collection?
M.M.: An emotional need to be honest I guess. I left
Semonkong village with a suitcase of dreams and felt unceremoniously uprooted
from what I am to what I had to be to fit my career dream wheels into the ebb
and flow of cosmopolitan Cape Town. There is a difference between growing
up mostly bare feet as a child, hopping onto a horse instead of a taxi to get
to the next village, or gathering vegetables from a garden instead of going to
a supermarket. Although I loved my new life with the South
African host family, through university hostel life, and up to my current
office, I must admit that my great cultural exchange came with an enormous
amount of self-manipulation to fit in. I spent half of my student life sitting
on and off the modern chair saying yes and no to its standards. Every time I
went home for a break, I felt the emptiness of my education as Semonkong was
painfully evaporating out of me through my new habits and ways of thinking. I
felt intoxicated by the reality of the village in a modern girl and reclaiming
village stories in my art felt like a great form of rehabilitation. I am no
longer bare feet today because I am wearing my own community story and it feels
right.
Mr&Mrs: What and where did you study?
M.M.: I finished my BA in Language and Communications at UWC.
I then moved to do another BA in Motion Picture at Afda Cape Town. This was
followed by an occasional theatre and Education at UCT.
Mr&Mrs: When was Bonnini
Boutique Born?
M.M. In 2009 after a personal journey with a South African
writer-Antjie Krog. I can’t really remember how I was summoned to
Antjie’s office. But I know she was looking for a Sesotho personal interpreter
in her research for her latest book, “BEGGING TO BE BLACK.” In my Travel
with her around Lesotho, our conversations were intense and punctuated by our
cultural histories – what we bring with us to the journey and what we
regrettably leave behind. The biggest question was how we negotiate the
brave new garden of cross-cultural clashes, entangled resonances, misunderstandings
and ultimately – uneasy reconciliation.
Out of these conversations, professor occasionally called me Bonnini
with a strange smile as she go through most of my responses to her questions
about my nuclear upbringing and my hosting South African culture.
Bo+Nnini=Bonnini=multiple delicacies. “Your shoes are so dusty but you
are still smiling” she said. I thanked her cordially but thought, “Fuck the
long face in my smile.” So in the face of time I became desperate
to use my own community stories as my personal resources for an authentic
fashion statement. Bonnini Boutique was born in my utter desolate need for a
true smile. Something real!
Mr&Mrs: What is Bonnini Boutique all about?
M.M. This is a business theater; remote storytelling through
fashion;
Mr&Mrs: Your first range is the Pitsi Boots, where did you draw
your inspiration from?
M.M.: Haeso Semonkong;
The gentle shaking hands of winds and trees in untouched kingdom of
birds,
The passionate kiss of the soft rain drops over virgin mountain tips,
Plenty smiles from thatched brown stone huts,
the smell of scented wood from fire places,
Sounds of the stepping flight-footed ponies,
the morning sun casting away shadows of the previous night and
kissing the soil with a village lover’s private dream.
Mr&Mrs: Tell us about the Pitsi Boots?
M.M. The name Pitsi comes from the Basotho Ponies early name
in Lesotho. The pitsi boots are carefully hand crafted to represent the
Brand’s loyalty of life span that the horses gave riders at the time when the
ponies were the main transport culture in Lesotho, Everlasting friendship that
Basotho have with the horses, and a timeless cultural sport the horses play in
the present day Lesotho.
Mr&Mrs: What does Pitsi mean?
M.M.: “Pitsi” literaly
meaning “Zebra is the name that was given to a horse in its early
arrival in Lesotho. It was also called “Khomo ea hakoa” meaning a cow of the
Griquas because in the Griqua language, a horse was called “Hacqua”. Another
name for the pony was “perd” that was named by the Dutch and made it to
the present day Lesotho, "Pere" is the name of our new range in the
Basotho ponies designs.
Mr&Mrs: Where do you want to go next with the collection?
M.M.: Apart from supplying up market shops Like Mr&Mrs in
Cape Town, I am digging deeper with the brand to express themes around the
Basotho ponies. This month Pere (another name for pony) Boots is out and I
can’t wait to see these loyal and warm- footed boots carrying our feet this
winter!
But above all, I hope that the Pitsi boots are the successful stepping
stones towards job creation, retreat from foreign dependency towards positive
growth in local arts and culture.
Mr&Mrs: What are your favourite shoes in your closet right now (other
than the ones from your collection?)
M.M.: Tsonga, Melissa, and Softclox
M.M.: Tsonga, Melissa, and Softclox
Mr&Mrs: How would you describe shoe style in Cape Town?
M.M.: Flopsy, everybody is wearing flip flops.
Mr&Mrs: What are five must have footwear for any woman?
M.M.: Ladies, don’t we all need loyalty, long lasting friendships, and love?
Well if so, then you must shop under the Basotho themes this winter. The Pitsis
and the Pere boots are out. Keep your feet warm with Bonninis! Steve
Madden shoes have that strong sense of loyalty which most plastic shoes don’t
have. I can say Tsonga shoes are one other kind of boots to warm your
feet in winter; I like the fur within! I’m not too fond of plastics but
Melissa is a soft feet snag, and Sole Rebels will keep you practical with
style.
Mr&Mrs: Do you remember the first pair of high-end designer
footwear that you bought?
M.M.: No I can’t even remember that. I was wearing Dr. Martens when
I arrived in Cape Town. Hmmm, that must have definitely been the must go shoes
for me at the time.
Mr&Mrs: Do you remember when you got them?
M.M.: I Can‘t Remember, but I think they used to be popular at the
time they hit Semonkong village style. I can vaguely remember borrowing a pair
from Chana (a close friend from High school) because she had an extra pair and
we both would wear them occasionally to brag to our peers at the time.
Mr&Mrs: What are some of your favourite places to shop for
footwear in Cape Town?
M.M.: For my running shoes, I go to Access Park because it’s cheaper, I got the last pair for R300 while it was going for R1200 in the Waterfront. I pop into Melissa hosting boutiques now and then, and I have been snuggling under fair trade vendors for a while, something about handmade delicacies gives me a sense of authenticity.
M.M.: For my running shoes, I go to Access Park because it’s cheaper, I got the last pair for R300 while it was going for R1200 in the Waterfront. I pop into Melissa hosting boutiques now and then, and I have been snuggling under fair trade vendors for a while, something about handmade delicacies gives me a sense of authenticity.
Mr&Mrs: We have a little survey, if you will. It's kind of
a "would you rather" where we're just going to shoot off two options
and you tell me which footwear you prefer.
Mr&Mrs: So heels or flats?
M.M.: Both
Mr&Mrs: Booties or tall boots?
M.M.: Tall boots
M.M.: Tall boots
Mr&Mrs: Stilettos or wedges?
M.M.: Wedges
M.M.: Wedges
Mr&Mrs: Closed toe or peep toe?
M.M.: Depends on the season. In winter I would go for closed, but my feet need to breath in summer
M.M.: Depends on the season. In winter I would go for closed, but my feet need to breath in summer
Mr&Mrs: Suede or leather?
M.M.: Leather
M.M.: Leather
Mr&Mrs: Neutral or bright colors?
M.M.: Hmmm, no harm in keeping feet closer to earth with neutral colors in summer. But its nice to dissolve winter blues with bright colors.
M.M.: Hmmm, no harm in keeping feet closer to earth with neutral colors in summer. But its nice to dissolve winter blues with bright colors.
Mr&Mrs: Round toe or pointed toe?
M.M.: Hmmm, depends on the outfit of the day!
M.M.: Hmmm, depends on the outfit of the day!
Mr&Mrs: Who would you like to wear your footwear?
M.M.: Urban poets: I am what I am
Cosmopolitan shepherds: I am what I do
Funky
priests: I am what I preach
High
class nerds: I am what I know
Spectacular
yet ordinary lovers: I am what I feel
Don’t underestimate those
individuals, they are great people and often friendly to the environment.
Mr&Mrs: Any tips for aspiring footwear lovers?
M.M.: Stop imprisoning your feet in plastics, go for
handmade delicacies.
