Threads of Ambition

How Lethabo Mohaswa Weaves Fashion, Study and Hustle

22 SEPTEMBER 2025  Mondays Mag Publications

When Lethabo Mohaswa speaks about creativity, she doesn’t sound like someone chasing a hobby, she sounds like someone building a life. In a candid online conversation with Mondays Magazine, the 20-year-old second-year student traced the unlikely routes that led from childhood dress-up sessions to photoshoots, crochet needles and brand collaborations.

A HEARTBREAK THAT PUSHED HER OUT OF COMFORT

Sometimes careers begin with epiphanies; for Lethabo, it was heartbreak. Rather than retreating, that moment pushed her to test limits and step out of herself. That leap led to modelling in 2024 after an invite from a peer known as K-ci (@staircasetoheaven), and to a string of experiences that transformed how she sees her body, confidence and presence in front of the camera.

Her earliest photoshoot memory is still vivid: photographer Cole (@justcoleart) told her she’d be a star!  a line she keeps close as a talisman. The reward, she says, is recognition: agencies reaching out and the steady knowledge that she’s on a path others are noticing.

“THIS DEGREE CHOSE ME” — A MARKETING STUDENT WHO MARKETS HERSELF

Lethabo describes marketing as a door opener. “This degree chose me,” she says, and already it’s given her a toolkit she uses to position herself as a creative. Her path wasn’t linear: shy as a child, she and her sister played dress-up in their mother’s clothes, planting the first seeds of a fashion instinct that would later bloom into modelling, makeup and crochet design.

Time management remains an uphill battle. As a student who also runs creative projects, Lethabo admits she still struggles: creative energy ebbs during exam pressure and studies suffer when a new shoot or idea takes hold. The trade-off, she explains, is often necessary  a sacrifice for growth  and one she navigates with a determined pragmatism.

FASHION, MAKEUP AND THE JOY OF ACCESSORISING

Appearance, for Lethabo, is a form of expression and an opening line. She moves naturally between bold and natural makeup  the intense looks arrive when emotion fuels creativity, like a recent Jägermeister-inspired makeup concept while gentler styles serve everyday life.

A trend she’s embraced is deliberate over-accessorising. Lethabo finds that jewellery doesn’t just complete an outfit; it amplifies confidence. That flourish has become a signature in her work and a small practical insight for anyone trying to curate a memorable personal brand.

CROCHET: FROM GRADE-3 CLASSROOM TO A GROWING BUSINESS

Crochet arrived early  taught by a grade-three teacher  and evolved from pastime to enterprise. Lethabo loves creating bold clothing pieces, though admits crochet is a painstaking craft that demands focus and time. Her label, @25.10byleeiah, is already a business in embryonic form, with ambitions to grow into a community where fellow creatives can showcase what they make and share creative resources.

She hasn’t yet woven crochet into a shoot or modelling gig, but it’s a plan on the roadmap  one that could combine her strongest skills into a distinctive visual language.

CONTENT, COLLABORATIONS AND THE POWER OF INSTAGRAM

Lethabo’s content spans fashion, modelling, makeup and crochet. Over time she’s shifted from surface-level posts to letting her audience in showing process, struggles and wins. Instagram has been pivotal, she says, for networking and unlocking opportunities.

She lists standout brands and moments  Adidas Original Studios workshops, a Jägermeister project and support from YMZ  and describes a recent creative summit led by Nick Mothibeli as a clinic in time management, leadership, and the art of voicing concerns constructively.

IMPOSTER SYNDROME AND THE FUTURE SHE’S ALREADY SKETCHING

Like many emerging creators, Lethabo battles imposter syndrome and creative blocks. Her remedy is practice: good habits, small resets, and trusting that things happen for a reason. She keeps her ambitions specific — partnerships with Mr Price, Fashion Nova, Factorie, Adidas and Puma, and creative collaborations with photographers she admires such as Malume Jade and Nondumiso Shange.

Her advice to newcomers? “Just start,” she says. You won’t have it all figured out at first, but the journey helps you find purpose and craft. It’s a simple, unvarnished credo from someone threading together education, art and hustle — and already creating a pattern that’s impossible not to follow.

CRDT.

Mondays Magazine Publications

Issue Presented Lethabo

Story By Mondays Magazine Publications / Edited by Tshepo

Designed by The Mondays Studio & Kvn

Published on the 22/09/2025