5 MINUTES WITH Thando Ntuli

The evolution of South African fashion is the embodiment of our country’s rich history, punctuated with traces and trails of where we come from

Thando Ntuli is the founder and designer of Munkus, an intergenerational brand which creates bold, bright retro-inspired garments designed with the modern woman in mind. In 2022, she won the South African Fashion Week New Talent Award, and was also the recipient of Design Indaba’s Emerging Creative Award in 2022. The brand is tied to storytelling, where the past collides with the present. She chats to us about the importance of comfort in her designs and the matriarchal influence she experienced growing up in Soweto.

What lead to the birth of Munkus in 2019? 

I didn’t necessarily want to be a fashion designer, but I wanted to do something creative. I made art and watched a lot of anime and listened to music. When my older brother took the creative path, he kind of laid the foundation for me; to my parents, it validated this career. It showed them I could also find success, and they supported my choice.