Fashion & Beauty

H&M joins forces with Rich Mnisi to create a graphic streetwear collection

This collaboration is your chance to 'bring a piece of the Rich Mnisi brand’s personality to your wardrobe in a way you can make your own'

20 July 2023 - 11:00
The gender-neutral Rich Mnisi and H&M collection features high-quality basics that are perfect for the South African winter season, but will work in your wardrobe well past that, says designer Rich Mnisi.
The gender-neutral Rich Mnisi and H&M collection features high-quality basics that are perfect for the South African winter season, but will work in your wardrobe well past that, says designer Rich Mnisi.
Image: H&M

Acclaimed SA designer Rich Mnisi creates fashion for "people who live boldly and people who want to live boldly". And, thanks to H&M, he says you'll soon be able to bring some of his eponymous brand’s personality to your wardrobe in a way you can make your own.

That's because the international retailer is poised to drop a collectable range of streetwear emblazoned with Mnisi's illustrations.

Founded in 2015, the Rich Mnisi brand was born from the designer's "yearning to connect deeper with his unique [Tsonga] culture and heritage and tell a compelling story through his art".

The story Mnisi hopes to tell with the eye-catching graphics chosen for his collaborative collection with H&M is about his "growth as a designer".

“What inspired me ... is the journey I’ve been on with my team and everyone who loves this brand," he says. "Life and work move so fast that it’s hard to stop and celebrate where we’ve been sometimes, so this partnership with H&M has been a way for us to do just that — celebrating our day ones.”

Mnisi also saw the collaboration as an opportunity to extend the accessibility of the brand's designs and, in doing so, "show love" to all the people who've helped it become the success it is today.

Dropping on July 27, the gender-neutral collection includes high-quality basics such as T-shirts, sweaters and hoodies with relaxed and oversized fits. Featuring 24 different illustrations, styles come in warm seasonal shades of brown, orange and beige as well as black and grey mélange. They're available in sizes XS to XL and priced from R249 to R529.

The Rich Mnisi and H&M collection features high-quality basics that can be layered for a coordinated look.
The Rich Mnisi and H&M collection features high-quality basics that can be layered for a coordinated look.
Image: H&M
Pieces in the Rich Mnisi and H there are 24 different illustrations to chose from.
Pieces in the Rich Mnisi and H&M collection are emblazoned with bold graphics; there are 24 different illustrations to chose from.
Image: H&M

Stylish, cosy and affordable, the collection is also eco-conscious: it's made from more sustainably sourced materials including 100% in-conversion cotton (grown by farmers converting to organic farming). 

“At H&M, our collaborations have [always] epitomised our business concept: fashion and quality at the best price in a sustainable way," Caroline Nelson, Country Manager, H&M South Africa. "[They] clearly show that design and sustainability are not a matter of price."

"SA is abundant with creativity, and we are so happy to be able to partner with Rich Mnisi and offer all our customers access to such an iconic fashion brand. We are also very proud to have worked with a local screen-printing supplier on this collection to further support local business."

The Rich Mnisi and H&M collection will be available at select H&M stores in Cape Town (V&A Waterfront, Canal Walk and Cavendish Square), Gauteng (Sandton City, Mall of Africa and Menlyn Park), Polokwane (Mall of the North) and Durban (Gateway Theatre of Shopping) from July 27. You can also shop it online via Superbalist.com.

Behind the seams of the Rich Mnisi and H&M collection

Mnisi tells us more about the Rich Mnisi brand and his collaboration with H&M.

How and when did the Rich Mnisi brand start?

At the end of my design studies, after I won the AFI Young Designer of the Year award in 2014. I’d convinced my family to let me study fashion design at LISOF and I worked hard to make them proud and build something meaningful.

What is the ethos and vision for the brand?

It’s really about a bold, modern celebration of heritage. The brand and its designs are a call to be bolder, inside and out. The storytelling I engage in comes from many heritage sources, from African mythology to my own Tsonga heritage to my late great grandmother. It’s all about bringing together [where] we come from, where we are, and what we want to say with our lives and our style in one fluid connection.

Hoodies from the Rich Mnisi and H&M collection are priced at R529 each.
Hoodies from the Rich Mnisi and H&M collection are priced at R529 each.
Image: H&M
T-shirts from the Rich Mnisi and H&M collection are priced at R249 each.
T-shirts from the Rich Mnisi and H&M collection are priced at R249 each.
Image: H&M

Why do you think H&M initiated this collaboration?

I think H&M has been in SA for long enough now to understand just how special our local talent is. I hope these collections continue, bringing more local and global exposure for South African creatives.

Describe the Rich Mnisi and H&M collection.

There are layers of co-ordinated pieces, which I love, that use the season’s neutral tones as a backdrop for some of our favourite illustrations, graphics and symbols.

They are perfect for the South African winter season but will work in your wardrobe well past that.

I particularly love the brown sweater with a green and black monogram graphic on the back and the cream hoodie that features our intersect illustration.

This cream hoodie, featuring Rich Mnisi's intersect illustration, is one of the designer's personal favourites.
This cream hoodie, featuring Rich Mnisi's intersect illustration, is one of the designer's personal favourites.
Image: H&M
The pieces in the H&M Rich Mnisi collection were screen-printed locally by a company in Cape Town.
The pieces in the H&M Rich Mnisi collection were screen-printed locally by a company in Cape Town.
Image: H&M

How do you see your brand benefitting from the collaboration with H&M?

We try to paint vivid new worlds with each collection, and I believe this collaboration will extend an invitation to more people to join us in those worlds.

Where do you see your brand in the future?

Everywhere, everywhere, everywhere. I think the brand’s call to boldness has so many more friends to find across the world, and we are pushing to grow to a stage when we can meet them where they are globally and offer them even more.

This article was sponsored by H&M.

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