H&M launching very first African designer collaboration with South African label Mantsho

The collection, which will launch online on August 15th and in selected stores in the UK, will feature “flowy, easy fitting cuts, frills and gathers” in a range of colour palettes from blues, browns to blacks, hues of pink and amber reds as well as colourful espadrilles, chunky earrings and a clutch bag complete the print-heavy collection.

“This is my love letter to the world from Africa,” says Mantsho’s head of design, Palesa Mokubung. “I hope customers around the world will enjoy this ensemble of my stand-out pieces from my last three collections. Palesa Mokubung is the first African designer to collaborate with retail giant H&M.

The Mantsho label, meaning ‘black is beautiful’ in Mokubung’s native Sesotho language, was created in 2004 and has since graced numerous runways worldwide, eventually finding a home with the popular Swedish retailer.

According to the brand, "Palesa zooms in on African materials and cleverly transforms them into modern and edgy designs incorporating fine silks and woven fabrics to end up with a 100% Mantsho garment. A true Mantsho garment can be identified buy it’s confident and effortless silhouette, structure and quirkiness. These three elements work well to describe Mokubung's knowledge of her craft. Shape is a big character of her design ethos she believes it stores a woman's confidence."

Every year since 2004, H&M has collaborated with a fashion designer to produce a capsule collection for its stores. Mantsho’s collaboration puts the brand in the company of designers such as Balmain, Stella McCartney, and Karl Lagerfeld who have all collaborated with the retailer.

Pernilla Wohlfahrt, assortment manager for collaborations and special collections for H&M, added, “Palesa’s creativity with colour, print and silhouettes is inspiring as she celebrates the female form through her designs which complement the female shape in a flattering and playful way."