Somizi and Bathu Announce A New Sneaker Collaboration
Somizi and Bathu Announce A New Sneaker Collaboration. South African celebrities usually collaborate or endorse international brands. Many South African brands often have to offer celebrities free clothing or merchandise so that they can get some of exposure for their brand. The South African fashion industry has grown form strength to strength over the years as brand such as Loxion Kulca set a solid foundation and precedent for other local fashion designers to enter the fashion industry and actually find success not only in South Africa but in international markets as well.
South African actor, media personality and choreographer Somizi Buyani Mhlongo-Motaung popularly known as Somizi announced his collaboration with South African sneaker brand Bathu in a tweet on the 11th of February 2021. The tweet read “It’s the day! The big reveal!! I present to you the #BathuXSomizi shoe! Available @bathu_sa nationwide from Friday 12 February 2021.” The collaboration was officially launched at an event at the Bathu warehouse in Centurion.
Mhlongo-Motaung told Independent Online that, “January last year, I had an ‘aha’ moment, and thought, how about we have a mineral range, gold, silver, platinum and ruby? Theo loved it, designed the shoes and brought the samples. I loved it, excited, enjoyed it and knew that this was going to work because I am ‘king of bling’. I love stones; my favourite stones are tanzanite, diamond, ruby, and the gems. That’s how the range BathuXSomizi came about and it’s because of the love of finer things in life, the love of celebrating the richness of Africa and the love for just beautiful things”.
The collaboration has a collection of sneakers such as the BathuXSomizi Ruby Red, BathuXSomizi Diamond, BathuXSomizi Platinum and BathuXSomizi Gold.
Theo Baloyi, founder of the Bathu sneaker brand, told Independent Online that, “Somizi and I have been working on this concept for about two years now. We did so many designs, and the timing wasn’t right at the time. Somizi wanted something that embodies and accommodate the minerals and the richness of Africa. And we are known to be rich in minerals and gold, and Somizi was like ‘how about we take the richness of Africa and incorporate it into shoes?”
This collaboration is proof that there are quality South African brands that local celebrities can endorse and collaborate with as this elevates the South African Fashion Industry as well as the brands that are collaborating.
