Rugby star channels Basotho roots into Home of Glory

From scoring spectacular tries on the rugby field to making bold moves in fashion – former World Rugby Men’s Sevens Player of the Year and Stormers star Seabelo Senatla is redesigning his playbook to carve out a creative legacy beyond sports.

With 13 years of professional rugby behind him, the 33-year-old is channelling his lifelong passion for style and Basotho heritage into Home of Glory, his contemporary Afro-minimalist fashion and lifestyle brand.

“The word glory is essence, and we took the inspiration from Ditema, which is a mural art form of Lesotho that was displayed on the homes, painted patterns by the Basotho women. We want to make our brand feels like home and carry the essence of the beauty of being African,” he says.

“It began as celebratory wine for my move from the Sevens to the Fifteens; fast forward, it evolved to being more of a lifestyle brand that encompasses celebrating African lifestyle in a different way, that feels contemporary and premium.”

His latest collection, Phoenix from the Ashes, is a deeply personal exploration of resilience, vulnerability and reinvention, echoing his remarkable comeback from a near-fatal car accident in 2023.

Brought to life through an editorial shoot in Lesotho, under the creative direction of fellow Basotho creative Tsepiso Seema, the collection reimagines African masculinity while celebrating cultural identity, heritage and belonging.

Growing up in Thabong, the oldest township in Welkom, Senatla’s first love was fashion, long before rugby took centre stage. His earliest fondest memories of style dates back to the age of nine, when he and his mother bonded over their fascination with clothing.

“The moment that stands out is when I did shop with my mom. We would look at old clothes from old shops, compare prices and get something cheaper there that can match with something else,” he says.

“But I remember me and my mom just having a ball, like, looking at different stuff, comparing stuff, you know, styling, switching styles, and just having a ball.”

During his high school years, Senatla regarded rugby as more than a social pastime, despite encouragement from friends and coaches to take his talent seriously. Becoming a father in matric marked a turning point, and during his gap year, he enrolled at a rugby academy, recognising the sport as a potential pathway to a professional career and financial independence.

“The reason why I stuck with rugby is that all my friends played rugby, so it was a nice social thing to do. I was always good at it. People would always advise me to take it seriously, but in my mind, it was just like, ‘Agh, it’s Welkom’,” he says.

“It persisted even after high school and when I had my kid in matric, I took a gap year after matric and I went to pursue the rugby thing. I wasn’t sure how my life would play out. I think the love and passion for it grew, and so did the desire to turn pro at 19 years old, which was what I chased.”

Even as his rugby career took off, fashion remained in Senatla’s life. His unconventional sense of style raised eyebrows in the traditionally conservative rugby fraternity, but he remained unapologetic about his individuality.

“I’ve always had a distinct taste. Even coming into the rugby space when I made it pro, I remember guys couldn’t understand what I was dressing in. It was like, ‘What the hell are you wearing?’ It wasn’t quite popular back then because the rugby space is quite conservative.

“But I told myself, ‘this is me; these guys will get used to it.’ I became an anomaly where, you know, guys just accepted it as, like, ‘Yeah, this is just him; this is how he dresses’”, says Senatla.

As his sporting career took him across the globe, encounters with diverse cultures and fashion in Italy, Japan and China broadened his creative horizons, refining his personal style and inspiring the aesthetic that would later shape Home of Glory.

“Through my travels and seeing the rest of the world, that’s where my taste evolved. We went to brilliant places such as Italy, Hong Kong and Japan, and people there dress up as a lifestyle and that heavily influenced me,” he says

“Through Home of Glory, we’re trying to bring African craftsmanship to the same standard and breadth as the rest of the world’s premium, and that’s why we call ourselves Afro-premium to signify that it’s African but premium in a way that we can compete in quality with the rest of the world.”