Bonnini Boutique - The Brand Ambassador talks about her first collection, the Pitsi Boots

We were lucky enough to snag an interview with a great new Cape Town-based footwear brand ambassador. Maybe you've heard of her? Her name is Mannini Mokhothu

Mr&Mrs: Where are you from?
Mannini Mokhothu:  Haeso ke Semonkong village - Lesotho

Mr&Mrs: Where do you live now?
M.M.:  Cape Town

Mr&Mrs: What age are you?
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

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.

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

Mr&Mrs: Stilettos or 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

Mr&Mrs: Suede or 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.

Mr&Mrs: Round toe or pointed toe?
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.