RICH MNISI Starts Off The Year With New Hiya Kiya Summer Collection. RICH MNISI is a South African based brand that was founded in 2015 by Rich Mnisi, who also serves as the brand’s Creative Director. The brand was born from Mnisi’s desire to connect deeper with his culture and heritage as well as to tell a compelling story through his art.
Rich Mnisi just released its 2021 Hiya Kaya collection which is available on their online store. The collection is inspired by African print patterns that are bright and very colourful. The colours used for the collection give it a summer vibe that anyone can wear when heading to the beach or going to have lunch with friends. The collection is particularly themed around the VaTsonga tribe’s heritage as it features the Xibelani skirt that is worn by mostly worn by VaTsonga women.
Rich Mnisi works with several small factories and by doing this t is increasing the value chain of the local fashion industry. The company is committed to be a brand that is socially responsible, environmentally conscious and a brand that contributes positively towards building an industry with fair labour practices and empowered workers. It said on its website, “We consider deeply the ethical social and environmental impact of our operations, from our decisions at top management level to their effect on the worker at factory level.”
Mnisi has won several awards for his outstanding design work such as the Essence Emerging Designer of The Year award in 2019 as well as being on the Forbes 30 under 30 Class of 2019. “These awards gave me international recognition and birthed exciting collaborations and put a spotlight on South African creatives and what we have to say. The world is learning that a lot of the sustainable practices they are adopting are things we have been doing for years, which goes to show how ahead of the curve we are.” said Mnisi in an interview with Yo Mzansi.
