Mantsho X H&M: Making Fashion History

Fifteen years ago, then-junior fashion designer Palesa Mokubung took the plunge to start her own fashion label. The hard work has culminated in fashion history, as she became the first African designer to collaborate with giant Swedish retailer H&M.

- Timothy Rangongo

Last year, Palesa Mokubung, founder and creative director of the local fashion label Mantsho, received a call that would change the trajectory of her business. Swedish giant retailer H&M wanted to partner with Mantsho to release a collection celebrating the elegance and vibrancy of Africa, with modern edgy designs created for the stylish confident woman – exactly what Mantsho is premised on. It would be the clothing retailer’s first-ever collaboration with an African designer.

While a brand collaboration of this magnitude was not an easy decision to make, Mokubung decided to go for it. She felt that she had a lot to learn from a 72-year-old, billion-dollar retail house with 4 958 stores (as of February 2019) across the globe. Also, saying no would mean betraying her brand ethos of being a bold and confident woman.

Cue launch day and the Mantsho x H&M merchandise sold out at several local H&M stores within hours. #MantshoxHM trended at the top spot nationally on Twitter, garnering widespread media attention from Teen Vogue, Essence, CNN and Bloomberg, among other outlets.

“What has been happening is that we’ve been getting a lot of new clients and Mantsho is now a fully-fledged international brand,” she tells finweek.

How did you end up studying fashion?

I’ve always known that I’m a creative; so are my father and brother (who designed the Mantsho logo). So when I finished school, I didn’t worry much about what I was going to study — I just knew that it would be in the arts.

How was Mantsho established?