AFI and Esther Mahlangu collaborate to launch a Limited-Range of Culturally Inspired T-Shirts

Esther Mahlangu X AFI is here, just in time for Heritage Day and Spring/Summer 2020

Dr. Esther Mahlangu is known for her vibrant, geometric and symmetrical abstract paintings and murals in the Ndebele tradition. Spanning a career of more than 30 years, Dr. Mahlangu’s distinguished career has seen her honour the Ndebele design, applying her work to everything from helmets, skateboard decks, walls and canvases to planes, motorbikes and cars.

Of the exciting collaboration, Chairperson of African Fashion International, Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe says: “AFI has set itself a vision to be the best African Fashion and lifestyle platform. This is driven by our passion for Africa, its people and its creative talents.” Says AFI Executive Chair, Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe. “Our cross-sector collaboration with artists various spheres showcases the wealth of talent on our continent.”

She’s the first artist to transfer the time-honored Ndebele style of painting from the wall to canvas, encouraging and preserving the art form, whilst counting celebrities such as Usher, Swizz Beatz, John Legend and Oprah Winfrey as collectors and has exhibited in some of the world’s most esteemed museums. Many experts feel that no important Pan African art collection can be considered complete without one of Dr. Mahlangu’s artworks.

No stranger to collaborations, Dr. Mahlangu has previously partnered with BMW, Belvedere vodka, Rolls Royce, Albany and British Airways to name a few. She continues to prove that collaboration is key. And now, her latest collaboration with African Fashion International (AFI) sees her work featured on a limited-edition range of T-shirts, which have been described as a cultural collaboration that celebrates the best of African cultural art and fashion.

While this will be the first time that Dr. Mahlangu and AFI partner on a product, it is not the first time that the pair have joined forces to inspire creativity.

‘’We started the collaboration by having Dr. Esther Mahlangu as a speaker at one of our AFI Masterclasses where we had a conversation around sustaining our culture, as Africans, to ensure that we represent the best of what Africa is to the rest of the world,’’ explains Dr. Moloi-Motsepe.

The Esther Mahlangu x AFI, a limited-edition T-shirt collaboration is sold exclusively on the AFI Boutique website. To shop the Esther Mahlangu x AFI Limited edition T-shirts, click here.