Nelson Mandela launches his first fashion label, using his prisoner's matricule number as fashion ID.
46664 is the name of this internationally-minded South African label which announces a New wave of creativity in South African fashion scene.
Seeking to dynamize local fashion economy, Nelson Mandela decides to impulse the change in creating a local fashion specificity.
46664 launching intervenes at a time when South Africa fashion scene encounters difficulties to develop locally its fashion labels. Rich with a creative fashion potential, the country has to face a lack of financial subsidies necessary to market local fashion designers businesses. However, it's clearly assumed that this african country is proudly hosting a specific identity of fashion, feeding local trends with an underground fashion style only London city can compete with. Then, Johannesburg stands out the crowd as THE fashion hub of the country, considering the Avant-Gardist and home-made underground Hipster Style Joburg citizens are easily identified by.
Consolidating a self-made fashion model where the "Do-it-yourself" becomes an innovation strategy, South Africa develops a unique fashion identity while the rest of the continent remains in its traditional Total Look Wax Style. Then, 46664 creates the impulse in a contemporary fashion scene which has been too often confused with bad quality fabrics and counterfeits items.
The label breaks in South Africa fashion market, standing aside European A-list fashion labels and aligning with "Boutique" fashion designers. For now, 46664 is the first global fashion label emerging from South Africa. Developed under a licencing agreement with Cape Town-based Seardel Investment Corporation Limited, 46664 is endeavoring a new way through, giving hope to fashion designers on Rainbow Nation's future economical fashion features.
Fashion artists such as Athi Patra Ruga or Themba Mngomezulu (Darkie Label) are proudly representing this new generation of contemporary South African fashion designers who successfully developed their own fashion vision. Far from the HIV/AIDS charitable vocation 46664 label assumes, these artists empower South Africa fashion "Nouvelle Vague".
The Rainbow Nation can definitely prides itself for impulsing the change, feeding a Fashion Conscious wind that blows in its local fashion scene.
The official launch of 46664 Collection has been programmed for August this year, with retail stores in Joburgh and different ones across the country.
