iZaura

A Botswana-based luxury fashion label founded by designer Mothusi Casper Lesolle. Established in Gaborone, the label is known for blending contemporary African aesthetics with cultural heritage, sustainable design, and social purpose. iZaura has been showcased at major fashion events across Africa and internationally, with its work featured in editorial publications and worn by local and international celebrities.

Background

The label was founded by Mothusi Lesolle, a holder of a Political Science degree who left a corporate career to pursue fashion full-time. He initially called the label iZura by Mothusi Lesolle, later shortened to iZaura. The name was drawn from an 1980s television series he watched with his mother, set against the backdrop of African slavery and the transition to freedom — a narrative Lesolle drew on as a parallel to the evolution of the fashion industry and his own label's mission.

The label was primarily conceived as a women's clothing line offering ready-to-wear garments, with a stated ambition to introduce bolder and more versatile fashion sensibilities to Botswana's market, which Lesolle described as still relatively conservative in its clothing choices at the time of iZaura's launch.

Macy's, Washington DC (2017)

In April 2017, iZaura became one of two African fashion labels selected for Macy's Metro Centre in Washington DC as part of the retailer's Passport to DC initiative celebrating global fashion. Lesolle was selected alongside a designer from Malawi, making iZaura one of 15 labels chosen from across the world. The piece he created for the showcase was a blue leteisi mermaid two-piece dress titled Motlalepula (meaning "the rain bringer"), inspired by the cultural significance of leteisi fabric in Botswana and the country's relationship with water.

African Fashion International x Forbes Under 30 (2022)

In April 2022, iZaura participated in the first Pan-African Fashion Experience in Kasane, Botswana, organised by African Fashion International (AFI) in partnership with the Forbes Under 30 Africa Summit. The event provided Lesolle and other Botswana designers an opportunity to present their work to delegates and buyers from the United States, Europe, and Africa. iZaura's collection for the event, titled Diamonds of the Desert, was inspired by Batswana's strength and resilience and by Botswana's diamond heritage. Lesolle emphasised his label's use of sustainable materials and zero-waste off-cut techniques as central to its identity and international appeal.

Genesis Collection (2025)

In June 2025 iZaura unveiled The Genesis Collection, a non-commercial capsule of six to eight looks fusing Botswana's cultural heritage with luxury streetwear and high-end ready-to-wear aesthetics. The collection was crafted using zero-waste cutting processes and sustainable materials, accompanied by a limited-edition digital lookbook and a mini-documentary. Lesolle described the collection as a visual manifesto representing a new design philosophy for the label and positioning Botswana's creative identity on the global stage.

Social impact

iZaura has been used as a vehicle for social causes beyond fashion. Through a partnership with the Dignity Foundation, the label supported access to sanitary pads for young girls from low-income communities. Lesolle also established the Donate a Prom Dress program, which provides designer garments to young women from underprivileged backgrounds for school prom events, including refugee girls separated from their families.

In 2011 Lesolle co-founded Colour in the Desert Fashion Week, a Botswana-based fashion showcase that draws designers from across Africa and runs training workshops for emerging designers.