South African fashion designer Tshepo Mohlala has collaborated with liquor brand Castle Milk Stout to create a limited-edition capsule collection called “Last Stories of Culture”.
Mohlala is the founder of Tshepo Jeans, a brand that focuses on authentic denim.
In this new collection, he pays homage to the diverse culture and eclectic style of African people- through signature denim, trucker jackets, dungarees and T-shirts.
Each item in the collection has been carefully curated to bring to life the cultural stories of matriarchs’ Ouma Katrina Esau, the last living N|uu speaker.
And Gogo Madosini, who performs and teaches young people how to play the traditional amaXhosa Umrhube and Uhadi instruments.
“As a brand, we are constantly striving to both represent African cultures and bring conversations about culture to the fore.
“We want to encourage all South Africans to contribute to our collective goal and support the preservation of culture by making a purchase that counts.
“This capsule collection was about taking stories that are forgotten and not shared and embedding them into everyday fashion items to bring awareness to the importance of preservation of culture,” says Khensani Mkhombo of Castle Milk Stout.
Mohlala, who has always used fashion to tell stories of African people, says with this collection, he wanted to connect with the people.
“Tshepo Jeans’ bespoke denim designs have stories that are woven into them.
“From the sourcing of the cotton, the authentic feel of the denim, down to the fit of the item – unique to every figure.
“Our mission has always been to connect with people through the stories that our designs tell, and adding the rich heritage of these two matriarchs to garments was a major highlight for the brand,” he says.
Proceeds from the sales of the collection will be used to raise funds to preserve the legacies of the matriarchs, so they continue to pass their knowledge on to the next generation.