In honour of Women's Month, fashion designer Mzukisi Mbane of Imprint ZA, in collaboration with the advocacy movement Women for Change, has created a special print featuring hand-sketched portraits of GBV victims and survivors.
Local stars Zikhona Sodlaka, Pabi Moloi, Penny Lebyane, and Lerato Sengadi front the campaign with bespoke garments.
Mbane speaks to Sowetan about using fashion for activism:
Why is it important to use fashion as a platform for social advocacy?
Fashion allows me to address issues that are often difficult to talk about. For example, in this campaign, we have a print that carries the faces of GBV victims. As a man, I wouldn’t normally be able to walk around and openly display those faces or easily approach that conversation, because it’s still such a sensitive and painful topic.
What impact did Women for Change have on the design process?
It was important to get their support. I wanted them to see that this wasn’t about me or Imprint – it was about the bigger impact we wanted to achieve together. For them, it was mostly about giving their cosign and helping us with permissions, which was a crucial part of the campaign.
We needed to work closely with Women for Change, get their cosign and obtain permission to use the victims’ faces, names and stories.
Do you have any personal stories that influenced the campaign?
I was raised by a single woman and I come from a generation of women-headed households. I’ve seen how women are often overlooked and victimised. My mother – whose face is also part of this campaign – has shared with me stories of her childhood, including the abuse she suffered.
There are women in my life who have been physically abused and a family member who was sexually violated. She followed every procedure that is “supposed” to be done – the perpetrator was reported, a rape kit was completed – yet she still lives with the horror of seeing him every day.
How was the print born?
We have two prints and I chose to separate them on purpose. The original print that inspired the campaign featured many faces and stories. I wanted to approach it with the utmost sensitivity and respect for the victims. All of the women featured in the Women for Change print we created have passed away and are victims of femicide.
The second print is called The Icon. This one features women from different walks of life and races, who have been celebrated for something. It also includes the four ambassadors we are working with – Penny Lebyane, Pabi Moloi, Lerato Sengadi, and Zikhona Sodlaka. For this print, part of the proceeds will go to charities chosen by each ambassador.
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