Hello Podfriend!

Happy New Month! Hopefully nobody tricked you this April Fool’s Day.

The reluctant spring has brought with it a nasty cold that’s proving a little challenging to get over, but we push on. It’s all good in the land of the free, home of the brave.

How have you been?

We’re in experimenting mode at the SAL studio. Our first ever two-part episode has gone out this week, featuring renowned South African fashion designer, Palesa Mokubung. There’s more about that episode later in this edition. What I’d like to hear from you is what you think about this approach to the episode. So hit the reply button and let me know after hearing it.

SAL is also turning five this coming summer and in celebration, we will be catching up with a handful of some interviewees that have been on the show. If there’s a guest you’ve wanted to hear more from again, let me know and we will invite them back.

But before we get into the rest of the newsletter, a reminder to share this edition and ask your friends to join our squad. If this edition was shared with you, please subscribe.

Here’s what we’re doing in this edition:

-Studio Update

-Your Companion Listening for the Month

-Giving me Joy This Month

Alright pod friends, let’s get to business!

STUDIO UPDATE

AFRICAN DESIGNERS KILLING IT

Mantsho is the brainchild of Fashion Designer, Palesa Mokubung. After a three year stint as an intern at the seminal post-Apartheid fashion house, Stoned Cherrie, she broke out on her own to found her fashion label. In our conversation she breaks down how she built Mantsho one dress at a time, until the global fashion spotlight shone on her with the famous collaboration with the Swedish fast fashion brand, H&M. She also talks about the most meaningful accolades she has received during her 20-year long career - and they are not what you would expect. You definitely don’t want to miss this lesson in self-love, ambition and believing in yourself.

COMPANION LISTENING

SUSTAINABLE AFRICAN FASHION

Changing Narratives is the love child of Mozambican business and creative partners, Wacy Zacarias and Djamila DeSousa. These Mozambican textile and accessirues designers are on a mission to preserve traditional Mozambican and more broadly, African craft and knowledge through their brands, Karingana Textiles and Woogui. 

 Wacy and Djamila started working together in 2015, back when wax print was still the most visible representation of African textile. And as we’ve previously mentioned, these fabrics are, ironically, not even African-made or owned. 

In this context, these two women took inspiration from their local natural environment, existing production systems, local traditional designs and stories and decided to do things differently. 

In this conversation, we focus on their journey as pioneers in textile design, the sustainable fashion movement, we discuss one of their projects working with refugees in northern Mozambique, they also give their take on what “Made In Africa” means for fashion labels and designers.

GIVING ME JOY THIS MONTH