Tshepo Mohlala, Founder of TSHEPO has partnered with globally award-winning Single Malt Scotch Whisky brand The Singleton. Picture: Supplied
South African fashion designer Tshepo Mohlala, the founder of luxury denim brand Tshepo Jeans, has unveiled his partnership with Single Malt Scotch Whisky brand, The Singleton.
This is Mohlala’s second time working with a liquor brand, after he partnered with Castle Milk Stout to create the limited-edition capsule collection called “Last Stories of Culture” three years ago.
The Singleton and TSHEPO held an intimate event to unveil and announce the much-anticipated partnership between the two brands.
Mohlala told IOL Entertainment that he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the number of people wearing Tshepo at the Kunye lifestyle event, which was held in Sandton last weekend.
“I dreamt of this, that someday, I will go to a place that’s very upper echelon and then I will see people wearing it and it happened at Kunye.”
His brands’ popularity is unmissable from T-shirts, hats and jeans being spotted on international and local names.
“We are in a different space, right now as South Africans, as African designers for the first time in a long time Africans are truly supporting African businesses and that’s the most beautiful thing.”
Brands such as MaXhosa, GalxBoy, Thebe Magugu and Era by DJ Zinhle are being sought after by African stars as luxury brands.
For Mohlala, the partnership with The Singleton will not only spotlight what African craftsmanship is all about while growing his brand to bigger heights on a global scale, it also means redefining creativity and being unapologetic while doing so.
“Before Tshepo was formed, I specifically chose denim as my fabric of choice because quality denim is very much like The Singleton – it stands the test of time.”
When it came to deciding whether or not to partner with the liquor brand as a fashion designer Mohlala had to sit down and think hard about his personal values around alcohol and his brand. He explained that it came down to the people before the brand.
“The people who spoke, the conversations that I had, the values that the brands shared. It’s not about getting people drunk. I do understand that we come from a society of people that are alcoholics.
“I didn't go for it for the bad, I was like these people believe in the things I do. I have something to learn about craftsmanship and learning how to perfect something over the years.”
Senior Brand Manager for The Singleton at Diageo South Africa, Theo Zulu, said The Singleton will kick-off the partnership with a social media content series featuring Mohlala in the month of March followed by an in-store campaign.
IOL Lifestyle