AfriPulse
Award-winning model scout, pageant coach, fashion producer and media entrepreneur,
Kgomotso Seboko. Photo: Supplied
While the runway was dripping with stylish outfits, anticipation and a bit of UltraMel custard earlier this month, Kgomotso Seboko was filled with pride and gratitude.
As a fashion producer and model scout, Seboko was one of the agencies that supplied models for the MaXhosa Africa showcasing at this year’s Paris Fashion Week.
MaXhosa Africa’s Siyi-Kulture collection was a celebration of identity and heritage, layered on the skhothane subculture. For the local brand, the collection reinforces its founding philosophy that culture is not static, it is lived, evolving and continuously expressed through contemporary design.
Young model from Paris, BA Alassane Jr. Photo: MaXhosa
Putting together a stellar showcasing on an international stage takes an ardent team, including model agencies. On a trip to Paris, France a few years back, Seboko discovered a tall young man, BA Alassane Jr. When MaXhosa Africa opened casting calls for this year’s Paris Fashion Week, Seboko immediately contacted MaXhosa founder Laduma Ngxokolo to suggest the young soon-to-be model.
With two decades in the fashion and modelling industry, Seboko has come a long way from being rejected for his height by model agencies. Now as an award-winning model scout, pageant coach, fashion producer and media entrepreneur, he is flying higher than ever.
Encouraged by friends, in 2005 he set up KS Modelling Academy in Johannesburg, where he even tried convincing me to join his agency because of my height. He hasn’t succeeded but he has managed to carve out a laudable career since then.
Through his academy, Seboko has trained Miss South Africa finalists for more than a decade. The academy has also produced Seychelles Fashion Week, launched Mister Heritage South Africa and supplies models to brands such as Revlon, Inecto and Darling Hair.
Mail & Guardian caught up with the man who starts his mornings with prayer and the gym, to learn more about his experience at Paris Fashion Week with MaXhosa Africa.
Your initial dream was to be a model. When did the dream start?
It began back in Lesotho where I used to get in trouble for stopping every cameraman to take photos of me. My grandmother used to yell at me for making her pay for all the photos taken throughout the day.
I fully discovered it when I moved back to South Africa, to KwaZulu-Natal, where I participated in beauty pageants and fashion shows throughout my high school years.
But the dream was deterred and you had to transition to being a model agent and scout?
In 2003 I asked my late dad if I could move in with him in Johannesburg where the modelling industry was booming as a career.
But I got rejected by more than four modelling agencies because of my height, as fashion and runway models need to be 182cm and above.
My heart was broken but the passion wouldn’t go away, so I got hired as a booker and model manager at multiple agencies.
That is when I got inspired to teach people how I would have modelled if I were taller. In 2005 my best friends, Siyabonga Mdluli and Linda Nyathi, encouraged me to start my own modelling agency with funding assistance from renowned photographer Sabelo Mlangeni.
What qualities do you generally look for when scouting for a model for a fashion show?
It first starts with the height because clothes look more visible and appealing on tall people.
Then it’s the facial bone structure that makes a striking and unique-looking face in order to bring the designer’s vision to life.
The model’s attitude helps sell the clothes to the customers.
You have known and worked with Laduma Ngxokolo of MaXhosa for a while. Tell us more
I met Laduma 17 years ago when we were all just trying to break into the fashion industry.
He was always so supportive of my modelling agency and my work as show producer and director.
He even gave me the names of the top European fashion show producers to study if I wanted to become the best globally.
He is such a visionary, down to earth yet possesses a firm work ethic and cutting-edge execution.
How was working with him at this year’s Paris Fashion Week?
For his Paris Fashion Week show, he announced the casting call for the models and I immediately told him about a young man I scouted in 2024 when I was in Paris. So, I sent BA Alassane Jr to the casting and Laduma was blown away.
What general challenges does a model scout deal with leading up to a show and did you face any at Paris Fashion Week?
Convincing the designers to book our models and ensuring the models’ professionalism and ability to deliver on the runway are always a battle.
With Paris Fashion Week, the language barrier was a mission because I am learning how to speak French. The models are based in Paris, so communicating the schedules and rehearsal times was a bit of a challenge.
What was the reaction of the attendees and how did you feel seeing the model you scouted on the runway?
In the local fashion industry, most designers copy Westerners instead of proudly bringing South African culture to the world.
Basically, we were teaching the Europeans and the rest of the world about our culture and lifestyle through the clothes we were showcasing as MaXhosa Africa.
I felt so proud of myself as a model scout and coach who has been working hard for the past 21 years and praying for such opportunities for my models to be recognised in the fashion capitals of the models, especially Paris.
Alassane’s success with MaXhosa will open more doors for South African models to shine globally.
Kgomotso Seb
Source: Mg.co.za | Read the Full Story…
