About

“Maru” means “clouds” in Setswana and was birthed by Sabine Matsheka in Gaborone, Botswana. Maru is inspired by life beneath the clouds, in the sun-baked Kalahari Desert, quenched by the wealth of the Okavango Delta. Elements of nature are the centre soul of Maru.

Maru envisions recalling the modern Motswana woman, who before her modernity too, was engorged by the luxury of natural fibres, paid attention to detail and only accepted fine quality as the standard. Through a lightly carved style from clean lines, simple form and lush fabric, Maru hankers the resurgence of her unexacting grace.

Creating such a narrative for the Motswana woman and re-establishing her identity is of great importance to Matsheka, whose background is vested in development of the African region. A Motswana woman herself, Matsheka has lived afar - from Brussels to Gaborone and Washington DC, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Arusha, Kuala Lumpur, London and Geneva in between. Matsheka obtained her Masters degree at LSE (London School of Economics and Political Science) following, has worked in the non-profit space and developed a drive to pioneer digital access across the continent.

Maru to Sabine is passion to the project - its depth of purpose is to carve a path towards an active textile and manufacturing industry in Botswana, where we are combatively intersectional in our approach. Envisaging this utopia is the very reason Matsheka was adamant Maru be bottom up sustainable.

Tsamaya le rona ko tlase ga maru!

Journey with us beneath the clouds!