Curtains with Culture: How Katso Lux Curated Elegance From Heritage to Home

Curtains with Culture: How Katso Lux Curated Elegance From Heritage to Home. Dimakatso Dlamini, a qualified public relations professional, often noticed poor quality curtains in homes she visited. Unsatisfied with the market offerings, she envisioned a brand that combined luxury, customization, and African heritage. In 2021 she acted on that idea, launching Katso Lux Curtains in Boksburg, a brand committed to manufacturing high-quality made-to-measure curtains at competitive prices. Her intuition, style sense, and passion became the foundation for a home décor disruptor.

Bringing Tradition into Interiors

Katso Lux Curtains offers fabrics ranging from classic laces to vibrant African prints, including Seshoeshoe, Isindebele, Zulu, and Xhosa patterns, as part of a Heritage Day collection. By giving customers the option to adorn their homes in culturally significant fabrics, Dlamini created both visual appeal and emotional resonance. Her approach highlights how embracing local fabrics can elevate home décor while celebrating identity.

From PR Expertise to Entrepreneurial Purpose

With a background in public relations, Dimakatso had a reputation for polished communication and design intuition. When she launched Katso Lux in March 2021, she transitioned from corporate PR to full-time entrepreneur. She named her brand Katso Lux Curtains to reflect elegance, craftsmanship, and her own name “Katso,” making the brand authentically hers.

Meeting the Market Where It Was

Curating curtains from a township meant confronting logistical challenges, machinery, sourcing quality fabrics, and maintaining quality control. Dlamini overcame them by setting up operations in Westwood, Boksburg, and offering custom measurements, installation, and nationwide delivery via online orders or WhatsApp. She provided front-curtains, blinds, voile curtains, rods, accessories and even a sewing school, maintaining consistency through control of her supply chain.

Visibility That Fuelled Customer Confidence

Katso Lux gained visibility through social and press coverage. A feature in TrueLove magazine showcased her mission of integrating African prints into modern interiors. Later, videos on TikTok and Instagram reels demonstrated product installations and design outcomes, building trust via transparency and visual storytelling. Customers saw home transformations, which sparked orders without expensive ads.

Innovation with Purpose: Heritage Collection

A turning point came when Dimakatso launched her Heritage collection, aligning product line and cultural identity. Instead of generic imported fabrics, customers could choose curtains in Seshoeshoe, Isindebele or other local patterns. This bold move distinguished Katso Lux in a saturated market and built community pride in locally produced, culturally rooted décor.

Scaling Step by Step

From humble beginnings, Katso Lux recently opened a shop at Bonaero Park Shopping Centre, expanding beyond online and custom orders. The brand continues to manufacture curtains and accessories while building capacity in sewing and design classes, turning customers into learners, and learners into potential employees or partners.

Dreaming Big with Economic Impact

Dimakatso sees her business as more than décor, it is a job creator. She has expressed ambition to open stores nationwide and export products abroad. She believes curtain manufacturing can employ hundreds of South Africans, especially women. That social vision helps anchor Katso Lux’s growth in collective impact.

Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

• Transform dissatisfaction into opportunity. Dimakatso created Katso Lux because she saw a clear gap in curtain quality and style.
• Root offering in culture. Her Heritage collection allowed her to distinguish her brand by celebrating South African patterns in daily interiors.
• Use your existing skill set. Public relations expertise helped her position the brand professionally without high ad spend.
• Operate lean, scale smart. Starting with custom online orders and expanding into a retail outlet enabled controlled growth.
• Tell stories visually. Installation reels and home settings create trust and inspire customers more than promotional ads.
• Mix purpose with profit. Katso Lux positions itself not just as a business, but a means to create jobs and celebrate South African heritage.

Why Katso Lux Inspires

Katso Lux Curtains shows how one woman turned a critical eye into a thriving, stylish, and socially minded home décor brand. Dimakatso Dlamini fused her PR background, township-based manufacturing, and cultural passion into a company that now serves customers through online platforms, retail, and even education. She proves that creative industry can meet cultural identity, and that local manufacturing can sit at the intersection of purpose and profit.