This Botswanan fashion brand’s name comes from the word “glottology” – the science and history of language – and Glotto has certainly won itself a big speaking part on the global fashion stage. Its designs have one foot in the landscape and ancestry of its motherland, but Glotto is also leaving its imprint on today’s African style revolution – just as the rest of the world is beginning to sit up and take noticeof this continent’s creativity. This is a conversation that everyone needs to be part of.
Photographs by João Falcão
Designs by Mboko Basiami
Interview by Milly McPhie

Design//Life Africa: What first drew you to fashion?
Mboko Basiami (above): Fashion has always been in my family. We owned a couple of boutiques, so my aunt would travel to China, Vietnam and Türkiye and return with bags of clothes, and I loved watching her sort it all out. Growing up I would watch The Bold And The Beautiful on TV. The Forresters – one of the main families in the series – owned a fashion house and you’d see the design process from sketches to runway. I loved the glitz and glamour.

Who or what influenced your design aesthetic growing up in Botswana?
I love our country’s colour schemes and textures. We’re a semi-desert nation and it’s so dry, but I love the blue sky against brown soils and the little pops of green. I was born and raised in Letlhakane, a mining village in central Botswana, which had a great metal and rock subculture. People would go around wearing leather jackets and spikes despite it being one of the hottest countries on earth. It showed me how fashion can give you character. My mother and my aunties were really into South African pop culture – Lebo Mathosa, Brenda Fassie, Yizo Yizo – and that fed into a palette and aesthetic that champions darker skin tones and celebrates being bold and expressive.

How has your upbringing shaped your approach to fashion?
I saw a lot of colourism growing up – people around me were pressured into bleaching their skin, and I was teased by my uncle who would call me “Black girl” because I was the darkest of my cousins. It made me cry. But my family supported me. Those insecurities made me want to create a brand that celebrates melanin and makes everybody feel included. That’s why we have our slogan #GlottoGlow – because we believe you glow from the inside out. We’ve always used darker-skinned girls as key models as an ode to representation. Seeing women such as Botswana-born supermodel Kaone Kario win big made me realise there’s space for darker skin in fashion.

How does Botswana’s culture, history and environment show up in your work?
In texture and tone. Our “Stone Bleached” T-shirt collection is inspired by the sun-bleached hilltop rocks; the copper-bleached tones come from the desert meeting the delta. I’m Kalanga, so the languages I speak connect me across tribes – that interconnectedness is central. The brand name Glotto comes from glottology, the study of tongues and the way language links us. Botswanan history and environment – the Bantu migration, Khoisan heritage, conservation of our large elephant populations – all inform our brand which is rooted in ancestral lessons but is relevant to global pop culture. Glotto is designed for the new-generation hunter-gatherer: we gather lessons and we hunt in this global village.

Do you feel a responsibility to represent Botswana through your clothes, or do you design with a more global audience in mind?
I definitely feel a responsibility. Botswana has approximately 2.5 million people and we need to diversify beyond diamonds – fashion can create jobs. With youth unemployment high, I want to cut a slice of the $1.7 trillion fashion industry for Botswana and make sure that Africa tells its own story. I want Botswana to leave an imprint too. Glotto is rooted in Botswana but made for a global audience.

Are there traditional textiles, techniques or symbols you consciously reinterpret?
Absolutely. We’re releasing accessories made from cow horn – a by-product of our beef industry – and working on ostrich eggshell jewellery. We’re also trying out traditional weaving practices and we often rework ancient techniques for contemporary pieces.

‘When people wear Glotto I want them to glow – as if they were born to be who they are’

What inspires your collections?
Sometimes a simple fabric can spark an idea. Spirituality, environment, emotion, politics and sustainability also play a part; they are woven into the choices I make and help to push a new collection forward.

What is it like navigating the fashion industry as a female in Botswana?
It’s difficult. It’s a male-dominated industry, especially as things get more professional. Men often group together and leave women out. But I hold my head high; I believe in women-led brands and want to represent that perspective.

What advice would you give to young women entering the fashion world?
Bask in your feminism. Don’t feel you must be stone-cold, or mimic a masculine model to be taken seriously. You will be undermined, lied to, laughed at – but you should always lead with wisdom and sincerity. That form of authenticity unlocks sincerity and it is really needed in fashion.

What’s your approach to sustainability and ethical production? Do these play
a role in your work?
Sustainability and ethical production play a huge role. We use by-products such as cow horn, we print with plant dye, and we use biodegradable packaging. We’ve used this packaging from the start – I love it. We keep scraps of fabric and repurpose them into new garments; for example we make multi-patch jackets from last season’s leftovers. We also donate material for artisans to make pillows, and we’re exploring using fabric waste to make building bricks. We pay above minimum wage and align to the Sustainable Development Goals criteria as well as the Environmental, Social and Governance principles. Sustainability and circularity are central.

How do you source your materials, and do you collaborate with local artisans?
We source locally where possible: velvet and other textile remnants from local shops, thrifted garments for upcycling. Collaboration with local artisans is central to our supply chain.

What do you want people to feel when they wear your clothes?
I want them to feel as if they are glowing: vibrant, confident, authentic, rich, grounded and closer to a sense of purpose. I want them to feel they were born to be who they are.

How do you see Botswana’s fashion identity evolving? Where do you fit into that story?
Botswana is evolving but we’re still catching up with other countries. I see Glotto as part of a youth-led movement which is inspiring brands and proving that a small country can have a distinct creative voice.

What’s next for Glotto?
We’re getting export-ready: standardising processes, tightening quality assurance, and expanding physical and online retail presence regionally and globally. There’s so much for us to do – it’s so exciting.

As told to Milly McPhie

Visit: www.glottobrand.com
IG: @glottobrand
Also available at IG: @shwroom_cpt