Swedish clothing.retail company H&M announced a new collaboration: this time, it will be collaborating with South African brand Mantsho, and the collection will launch on the 15th of August in all South African H&M stores, as well as all H&M online markets and exclusive flagship stores around the world.
The aim of this collaboration is certainly to celebrate the elegance and the vivacity of Africa: indeed, the collection includes creations characterized by flowy cuts and frills. Accessories inspired by African style will also be part of the collection, which comprises shoes, earrings, and a clutch bag. The range of color palettes goes from blues, browns to blacks, hues of pink and amber reds. H&M x Mantsho is expected to retail from 19.99 euros to 99.99 euros.
The Mantsho brand – which is very popular in Africa and whose name means “Black is Beautiful” in African language Setoho – was founded in Johannesburg in 2004 by designer Palesa Mokubing, who has since graced numerous runways including Greece, USA, India, Jamaica, Senegal, and Botswana. Mokubung, who is the first African designer ever to collaborate with H&M, stated: « This is my love letter to the world from Africa,” says Mantsho’s head of design, Palesa Mokubung. “I hope customers around the world will enjoy the world will enjoy this ensemble of my stand-out pieces from my last three collections».
«Palesa’s creativity with color, print and silhouettes is inspiring as she celebrates the female form through her designs which complement the female shape in a flattering and playful way. We are so excited to share this collection with our customers across the globe» says Pernilla Wohlfahrt, Assortment Manager for Collaborations and Special Collections.
One of the reasons behind H&M’s choice is surely the fact that lately Made in Africa fashion is becoming more and more relevant. On the other hand, of course, there’s H&M’s will to be as international as possible, as proved also by the recent announcement of the collaboration with Chinese designer Angel Chen.
Words by Elena Affricani