Internationally acclaimed fashion designer Palesa Mokubung has taken
her signature style from the runway to the lifestyle space with four chic,
custom-designed prints for the African Influencers collection, harnessing
her edgy-yet-elegant aesthetic to craft a unique fabric range.
“I set out
to create superior prints that have African finesse and are inspired by
everything that inspires me,” she says. “I’m hoping to bring some style
and flair into people’s homes.”
Her eclectic designs feature everything from a dynamic monochrome
inscription of her fashion label, Mantsho (Scribe), to a print that celebrates
local jazz by detailing the Sowetan township houses that are home to this
unique subgenre (Township Jazz).
Also included are floral prints adorned
with strelitzia and accentuated with African design elements (Crane Flower
and Zinkwasi), and which represent Mantsho’s feminine lines and texture
Palesa describes herself as a “lover of things” and orientates her work
around her personal passions, yet always with an eye on the past, which
is often sewn into her work.
“I’m a sentimental person,” she says. “I keep
beautiful memories with me and draw from them – that’s what makes
my work authentic and makes it feel like it’s rooted in something.”
