Historic South African company Aranda’s new Young Basotho Designers Collection is a celebration of heritage and cool, and empowers a new generation of Basotho designers.

Cinephiles may recognise these intricately patterned coverings from Marvel’s Black Panther film, but Basotho blankets – and their maker, Aranda – were a household name with deep significance long before Hollywood came calling. Started in 1953 by the Magni family, and located in Randfontein outside Johannesburg, the Aranda Textile Mill is the oldest blanket, throw and shawl manufacturer in South Africa.

They source raw materials locally and internationally, and spin them into yarns, which are dyed, woven and made into an array of brilliant products. They’re especially known for their range of heritage blankets, including the Ingcawe, a Xhosa blanket traditionally used for burial and initiation; the Umbhalo, a striped blanket worn by the Ndebele people; and, significantly, the Basotho blanket. These are the beautiful, warm and distinctive blankets worn by the Basotho people in the mountain Kingdom of Lesotho.

Now the West Rand business has introduced the Young Basotho Designers Collection to provide a platform for budding creatives to showcase their talent, contribute to the rich blanket-wearing tradition, and tell Basotho tales. This is fuelled by the recognition that they need to enable authentic blanket designs by Basotho youth, for Basotho people. Most critically, all the designers chosen for the project will earn royalties for as long as the blankets sell.

The class of 2022/2023 comes from a variety of design backgrounds, including fashion, interiors and graphic design. They are Ntate Stunna, Material Don Dada, Alice Bereng, Masikane Masike, Khosi Leteba and Mokete Mohapi. Between them, they have created 10 designs in a variety of colours.

Ntate Stunna, aka MegaHertz, is a Lesotho-born rapper, songwriter, cinematographer and record producer, whose sound is a mix of trap and famo, a type of accordion music that originates in Lesotho. His blanket, Manoti a Koriana (Accordion), is inspired by his love for traditional music, hip-hop and fashion.

Material Don Dada (Tshepo Pitso), a fashion designer, 3D designer, model, video editor, cinematographer and entrepreneur, has created three blankets: Lipere tsa Pitso, Lerato la Basotho and Lithota. Lerato la Basotho translates to Basotho Love, which the designer explains is as “beautiful as the shining stars, a light that shines throughout and provides warmth”.

The Bodulo blanket is the work of interior and furniture designer Khosi Leteba. Born and raised in Durban, Khosi’s designs pay homage to Lesotho, the land of his origin. Inspired by a Basotho mural art called Litema, the blanket tells the story of the Basotho people’s traditional lifestyle. The people are represented by the iconic Basotho hats; the mountains depict the landscape of Lesotho; and the horses show the primary mode of transport used between the mountain villages, where people make a living through subsistence farming (represented by the crops).

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Acclaimed South African artist Dr Esther Mahlangu recently unveiled her new collaboration with Rolls-Royce at the opening of her solo exhibition, Disrupting Patterns, at One&Only Cape Town’s Melrose Gallery.

Spanning more than 30 years, Dr Mahlangu’s distinguished career has seen her celebrate Ndebele design, applying her work to everything from helmets, skateboard decks, walls and canvases to planes, motorbikes and cars. And now, her latest collaboration sees her work feature on a one-off Rolls-Royce Phantom.

At 84 years of age, Dr Mahlangu is the first South African to be commissioned to paint an artwork for a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Each Phantom is designed with a “gallery” – a glass box inserted into the dashboard – that allows owners to personalise their vehicles.

Her latest exhibition, Disrupting Patterns, showcases a strong selection of paintings that further explore her signature bold, geometric patterns.

Disrupting Patterns is open to the public until 31 March 2020 at One&Only Cape Town’s Melrose Gallery. For more information, visit themelrosegallery.com.

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Freshpak rooibos, in collaboration with internationally acclaimed Ndebele artist Dr Esther Mahlangu, has created a limited-edition tin.

Dr Esther Mahlangu began painting murals in Mpumalanga, where she learned the art form from her mother and grandmother. She then became the first artist to translate this form of painting onto canvas, which led her to travel the world as an ambassador for both South Africa and Ndebele art. She has received over 20 awards, including honorary doctorates from the University of Johannesburg and the Durban University of Technology.

Only 40 000 Freshpak x Esther Mahlangu tins will be released nationally at the end of October 2018 in Checkers, Pick n Pay, Spar, Makro and Fruit & Veg stores. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to a NGO that honours the preservation of Ndebele art.

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Fabrica design studio’s Kirsten Townsend (whose Citymapmats are featured in the latest issue of VISI) and Stokperd furniture’s Monya Eastman have merged their creative expertise to create a range of desks.

Kirsten’s interest in the bright and bold geometric designs of the Ndebele homes is what gave birth to the range. More than that, the traditional significance of each painted house as having historical meaning for the Ndebele people pushed both collaborators to do the project. The Ndebele Desk, which features an Afrocentric, slim-line design, is hand-crafted by local craftsmen.

The chosen palette adds a bright pop of colour to the geometric designs, which are made from a combination of powder coated metal and birch plywood. Available in white, pink and yellow, the desks retail at R6 700 each.

The Ndebele Desk will be available to view in Paris in June/July 2017, as part of the South Africa exhibition at Le BHV Marais.

For more information about the desks, visit fabrica.co.za or to shop online, visit stokperd.com.

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Eighty-year-old renowned South African artist Esther Mahlangu recently collaborated with BMW on an exciting project.

Image credit: Seagram Pearce

As we featured here, Esther transformed the interior trims of a BMW 7 Series into a colourful Ndebele-style work of art, 25 years after she painted the exterior of a BMW Art Car in 1991.

In this video, Esther describes how she started painting, and how her mother and grandmother taught her everything she knows. Forever inspiring, she also shares with us her purpose, to pass on her traditional techniques to the next generation and make sure the culture she holds dear doesn’t die out.

See more of Esther’s BMW 7 Series here.

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Renowned South African Ndebele artist Esther Mahlangu has teamed up with BMW to transform one of the brand’s luxury 7 Series cars into a work of art.

Twenty-five years ago, in 1991, Esther collaborated with BMW to paint the exterior of a BMW 525i sedan in her signature bold Ndebele-inspired patterns. This year, she has embellished the interiors in a subtle, yet striking way, by adding the patterns to the wooden internal trims.

The vehicle was sold in a private online auction on 5 September 2016 with profits donated to the charity project The Art Room.

The car will be on show at the Frieze Art Fair in London from 5 to 9 October 2016.

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