Meet Xolani..Most importantly meet Connate Wear..
Xolani is the Founder and designer of Connate wear a young new outerwear apparel brand with graphics to die for...just another discovery that goes to prove that there are so many amazing things that are going on in the fashion industry right under our noses.Its seems Cape Town is overflowing with creative new talent we just need to open our hands and catch the new trends.
Xolani is a 22yr old guy who hails from our very own outskirts of Worcester(Zwelethemba)...he is currently studying Graphic Design at College of Capetown where he is doing his final year.
So when was Connate Wear Born?:
I started Connate wear after a long battle of having to choose between Fashion Design and Graphic Design.Every time i had to go shopping ,i would purchase everything else besides tees even though i loved tees , i just never get to find tees that represented the street and urban style that i lived for at the same time.
 |
| Connate wear Ambassador |
Design to me means:
"Think Creatively"
What inspires you as a designer?
X:"I Am inspired a lot by the future,Rap Music,Graffiti the people around me and generally urban youth culture."
As like many designers there's a source of inspiration that drives us to do what we do the way we do it..and Connate wear is Xolanis creative outlet for all the things he sees around him on a day to day basis in his lil' slice of the world.
Where do you place Connate wear in the retail industry?
X:Connate wear is a street wear apparel brand that has the appeal of the skateboarding market...not to confine it to that market,its clear that various social groups are starting to brand themselves a certain way and graphic art and symbolism is a great way to get people aware and relating to you.When creating a brand and allocating it to a market one needs to base the aesthetic on something that the focused market will relate to.
 |
| Connatewear at the ZAXL market on orange street Cape Town |
Connate wear in the future..what do you have in stall for us?
X:I plan on taking connate wear to the moon :).....i want it to be a household name a label people will familiarize with and look upon on the daily.My dad always says
"Always aim higher than where you want to be,so when you fall,you'll be where you wanted to be'" .
My plan at the moment is having Connate wear recognized nationally before anything else.
The ZAXL Expo is part of a large scale initiative in the retail, manufacturing and export industry in South Africa, aimed at creating new entrepreneurial and employment opportunities for South African youth.
The Expo will be used as a launch pad for creating a new retail model much like Young Designers Emporium (YDE) of the early 2000’s. However, instead of a fixed physical space, it will be ONLINE. This will be a conduit for South African produced fashion products to be exported globally with a large focus on the emerging African market. The online store (www.zaxlonline.com & www.zaxlonline.mobi) will be modeled on the success of other online giants such as ZAPPOS and ZOZOTOWN. Connate wear was one of many designers taking part with goods on sale last friday (3 March 2012)..just another initiative on taking Connatewear National
 |
| Mic Turner |
Tell us more about connate wears brand ambassador and where will be seeing connate wear around on the scene:
X:Connatewear's ambassador is a Goodhope FM DJ ,Micheal Verveen also known as Mic Turner.Connate wear is all around Cape Town CBD.You're most likely to see connate wear being worn by him in clubs on long street and by real niggers with street cred..lol..become a part of the connate wear movement...Wearing a tee these days isn't about getting covered its about wearing what you're about on your chest.and if your about urban culture then you're about Connatewear.
 |
| Connatewear Advertorial Campaign Summer Spring 2012 |
Coming soon: connatewear vediography on you tube,Facebook compatible on your mobile phone.
Connatewear is available from wherever you are follow the link below Connatewearor hit em up on Facebook on Scott lee Mc Nerd http://www.facebook.com/Nerd.Jay
and place your orders.
Pumeza Mkhonza
xoxoxxo
