Mzukisi Mbane, the founder of Imprint ZA, has been making big moves.
From exhibiting in Milan, New York, Lagos and Botswana, the Joburg-based designer is going places.
This summer, he tells an authentic African story through his collaboration with Markham.
The exclusive Markham x Imprint collaboration is inspired by authentic storytelling through design and explores a range of bold colours, with each print telling a unique story of its own.
“There’s more to fashion than finding the right fit and pairing the right items. It is a personal statement and a story that one shares with others without using words. It is often said that what we wear is an extension and reflection of our persona and the Markham x Imprint collection represents exactly that – the bold and vibrant African persona,” says Mbane.
The collection has three print variations, Inkomi yaBenguni, Futuristic Zebra, and Africa Is Not a Trend - all versatile and can be styled to suit everyone's unique fashion sense.
‘Inkomi yaBenguni’
Reflecting the “true Imprint effect,’"this print started with red, blue and white designs inspired by the African shopping bags known as "Ghana Must Go," widely used across the continent. The brand later introduced pink, yellow and green colours to the print- which take centre stage in this collection. There are also cow heads, which symbolise the Nguni culture.
Futuristic Zebra
With this print, the designer envisions the future, complementing his brand’s ethos- afro-futuristic.
“This re-imagined print is special to the team in that the added inspiration came from a joke about the future of Zebras and what they are going to look like, according to the Imprint team. This is the futuristic Zebra look if the fashion influence could spur further,” Mbane explains.
Africa Is Not a Trend
Inspired by Malians, this is one of Mbane’s favourite designs. With this print, he wanted to celebrate the diversity of Africans and their ability to set trends.
The collection is available at all Markham stores.