“I'm Loxion Kulca like uSechaba no Wandi.”
That swaggering line from H2O’s classic hit, It’s Wonderful, sums up the mammoth influence on pop culture and street fashion that the late Wandi Nzimande had through his label Loxion Kulca.
A day after Nzimande’s death sent shock waves through SA, one-half of the hip hop crew H2O, Menzi Dludla, has remembered him for blazing the trail for black creatives.
“Wandi and Loxion Kulca inspired everyone in the township and that line in the song was representation of that,” Dludla said.
“If you look at the whole song it’s about the upliftment of black people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and Loxion Kulca represented that. He inspired not just fashion designers but musician and other creatives.”
Loxion Kulca co-founder Sechaba Mogale said the last few months leading to Nzimande’s death they have not been in close contact as their relationship was regretfully strained.
“People are calling me now and telling me how much he wanted to reconnect with me. We had a strained relationship over the past few months and it was from old stuff that we needed to unpack,” Mogale said.
“The reason I needed to see him was to tell him that it didn’t matter because he was so special to me and he affected me in such a profound way. I just needed to tell him that and we kept postponing.
“But tonight I’m going to light a candle and speak to him. I pray that things of the flesh remain here and he can go to a better place. I want him to remember me as his best friend and that will offer me so much comfort.”
Mogale and Nzimande were best friends since high school. He said Nzimande was a genius.
“One of the reasons our partnership worked for so long was that I realised how well-endowed he was as a creative person and sometimes jealous creeps in, but for me he had such a special gift that was obvious,” Mogale said.
“He was our engine and creative force — and through that we were able to break barriers that even today I’m still taken aback.
“For a very long time he was my only best friend and over time our tribe grew with time. But Wandi and I come from high school together and struggled together. A lot of doors closed in our faces, but he would look at me and say, ‘my friend we will get them’.”
Fashion designer Olebogeng Ledimo, renowned for his label House of Olé, credited Nzimande and Mogale for giving him his big fashion break 15 years ago as a starry-eyed boy when he first arrived in Joburg from Bloemfontein, Free State.
Ledimo served as creative director on many of Loxion Kulca’s collections, including one to mark the 20th anniversary in 2019.
They worked together on other projects and they were in the process of producing a docu-series about the history of SA fashion.
“His love for music was evident in everything he did and even when we were planning for fashion shows the first thing he had was the songs. Some of those songs inspired the collections. He was a friend, brother and family member. I even did his wedding,” Ledimo said.
“He believed in uplifting up-and-coming designers and collaborating with them. He believed in building the industry and coming up with new ways to do things.
“Another thing about him is that he never stopped talking. He could talk the entire day, nonstop. I remember at one stage our children went to the same school and after dropping them off we would just sit outside and talk. He was so sharp and smart — always coming with bright ideas.”
Ledimo revealed that the next Loxion Kulca collection was going to pay homage to Sowetan through a print that used archived articles.
He plans to continue with that legacy.
Nzimande’s family confirmed in a statement that he died of Covid-19 complications at Olivedale Clinic in Johannesburg on Wednesday morning at age 44. He is survived by his wife Hlapo and three daughters Senzi, Zandi and Zwelethu as well as two brothers Bheki and Ayanda.
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