Mzukisi Mbane takes Imprint ZA to the Grande stage

GLENFIDDICH CHOSE SELF-TAUGHT FASHION DESIGNER AND FOUNDER of Imprint ZA Mzukisi Mbane to reinterpret its Grande Couronne filigree.

-  Nare Kekana

The whisky brand has collaborated with artistic mavericks from 19 countries, including South Africa, Nigeria, Germany and the UK, to produce beautiful interpretations of the Grande Couronne bottle design.

Mbane shares his approach to composition, and how Imprint ZA informed his signature South African interpretation.

GQ: What’s “crowning the moment – my natural hair, my pride and glory”, and what does it mean to you?

Mzukisi Mbane: Whenever an African woman puts on a garment, it’s not complete until her crown is on, meaning she’s wearing her natural hair with pride.

GQ: What’s your interpretation of Grande couronne?

MM: It was challenging because the Grande Couronne and Glenfiddich as a brand, what it stood for, and where it came from didn’t connect with Imprint ZA. But the idea of two worlds coming together was what attracted me to it, and it allowed me to explore what luxury means to Imprint ZA: it’s in our bold colours, beautiful stories and heritage. Print and colour didn’t matter so much as ensuring the aesthetics or elements typical of Imprint ZA’s prints were visible. So, if you look at the print, you see there’s still that original, rich imprint that’s inspired by geometric prints from the Design Indaba. Gold symbolises African culture, and the particular shade of green we’ve used is synonymous with our brand. So, it was about these two worlds coming together beautifully, celebrating and complementing one another.

GQ: You’re one of 19 designers with whom Glenfiddich chose to collaborate.