Fashion Forward: Artclub and Friends x Mr Price Reimagine Design for All

Reaffirming its position as the pinnacle of South African street style fashion house: Artclub and Friends collabs with Mr Price for exclusive capsule collection.

INTERVIEW Ishani Chetty PHOTOS Anke Loots

Iconic and locally loved Artclub and Friends, a uni-sex Cape Town-based fashion label that has become synonymous with effortless style and aesthetics rooted in its love for artists of all mediums, continues to innovate its offering with its first-ever collaboration.

Collaborating with another iconic local brand, Mr Price, the limited-edition research project, as the collection is titled, was developed over two years ensuring that thoughtful curation and creation went into every piece created.

VISI caught up with creative director and founder, Robyn Keyser, to learn more about the collab, the collection, and what it means for Artclub and Friends.

What does this collaboration mean for you as a creative and also for the brand itself?

As a creative, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see my design ethos executed at a truly accessible price point. This has been something I’ve yearned for because I’ve always felt great designers don’t limit themselves to a specific income bracket. However, due to our limited resources and quantities, our products cost significantly more to produce. So as a brand, the collaboration meant we were able to find a way to allow anyone in South Africa to own a piece that we have designed, it is very hard to express the immense pride our team feels in seeing how much joy came from this collaboration. 

What inspired the collaboration?

Almost two years ago we planted a seed and began to experiment. We posed the question “What happens when you apply the design thinking of a small independent brand to the resources of a large-scale local retailer?” Our Limited Edition Research Project, a once-off collaboration between Artclub and Friends and Mr Price explores the possibility of whether considered design and quality can exist in the same space as accessibility.⁠

Are there future collaborations on the horizon for Artclub and Friends? 

Absolutely, collaborating is in our DNA. Although our collaboration with MRP was a once-off, the relationship will continue. We are truly inspired by how their team included us and let us lead from our experience. It was one of those unforgettable projects for us. If we had a trophy case, this would sit on the top shelf. Artclub and Friends is really about people, and working in a silo is something we avoid. We love to see what is possible when two teams bring their best ideas and resources together. So to answer your question, yes, the future is looking very exciting and we are already working on our next collaborative project. 

Can you provide insight into the design process for the selected Artclub and Friends x Mr Price items? 

When we began the research project, we outlined the elements that we feel are core to what makes an Artclub and Friends piece so unique and treasured. From there we worked alongside MRP to translate these ideas, shapes and material selections into the manufacturing options MRP has available. We focused on wearability, trans-seasonality, and fluidity in gender and age, as well as a strong focus on the best quality fabrics we could use while keeping within an accessible price point. 

This was a very new set of parameters for our team but we loved designing this collection. We were able to create a collection that looks and feels like us. And the feedback from across South Africa has been overwhelmingly positive. 

What was the design ethos for this collaboration? 

This collection was by artists and for South Africans. Artclub has always produced on a small scale, mostly due to the size of our community and ensuring we never produce more than is wanted. But because of this we’ve always faced serious roadblocks around our access to production resources and being able to achieve a price point that most South Africans can afford.

So when we began conceptualising, we realised this was not just another collection- but rather a study of what’s possible when artists have the support to dream bigger. Still limited in units, but unlimited in impact.⁠

As a small team with limitless ideas but limited resources, it was an expansive experience working on this collection. From developing 100% cotton premium tees to learning about the processes involved when creating on a larger scale, it truly was an honour for us to collaborate in this way with the Mr Price Team, who are in so many ways thinking the way we are. artclubandfriends.com | mrp.com

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