WSU ALUMNUS SCOOPED BY TOP SNEAKER BRAND

An inspiring tale about a WSU graduate who sketched his way to customize for SA’s top sneaker brand, “Bathu”, begins in the Free State – the year 2020.

Retsang "Rezz" Morake, born in Bloemfontein and raised in the capital city of the Eastern Cape, Bisho, obtained his National Diploma in Fine Arts from WSU in 2019.

And when an opportunity from the local shoe brand, Bathu, presented itself, he swung and hit.

"After graduating in 2019 I relocated to the Western Cape, I was called for a job interview. Unfortunately, I couldn't start working due to the Covid 19 pandemic so I had to come back home and figure out what to do," he said.

As the store was opening its branch in East London, Morake came across a post on Facebook, where the store was look for young designers who would work as 'Customizers' at the branch.

"I saw a post on Facebook where Bathu was looking for artists to work as Customizers. I saw it as an opportunity and posted my work in the comments and that's how I became part of the brand."

Growing up, Morake had an immense love for arts as he would often polish his skills by sketching wrestling characters. He, unfortunately strayed from his passion as he was growing up.

"In the year 2013, I decided to go back to sketching after I was inspired by the artworks of Mzuvukile Mbanga, a Visual Artist from Bisho. After I matriculated in Bisho High School, I decided to pursue Fine Arts at WSU." he said

As a student based in the BBC campus, Rezz would often associate himself with extra curricula activities such as being a studio assistant at Art Versatile where he learnt skills of entrepreneurship, under the mentorship of Litha Ncokazi, CEO of the company and WSU alumnus.

Rezz said one of his most interesting work as a Customizer was doing the "Izikhokho Cartoons" as it was the most relatable for him.

"To work for Bathu is like a dream come through. I'm very passionate about local brands and in the past few years I’ve also associated with the MoFaya brand which is owned by one of my inspirations, DJ Sbu," he said.

For Rezz, becoming the artist he is today was the result of networking as much as possible, spending his spare time perfecting his craft and using his social media platform to promote his work.

"I aspire to be an entrepreneur, especially in the field of Arts. I would like to also write a book about my life one day, to share my 'rags to riches' story with other artists."

In a recent post on Facebook, Rezz shared a photo of his proudest work, customizing the "Izikhokho Cartoon" on a pink Bathu sneaker with the caption "Uzophangela phi ngale Fine Art yakho?"  which was a token of motivation for other upcoming artist.

By: Ongezwa Sigodi