Wanda Lephoto on emerging fashion and culture - 'I'm always aware of the privileges afforded to me'

Wanda Lephoto is addressing unnoticed cultural conversations through fashion. 

With his eponymous label he aims to fuse fashion, culture and collaboration and tell a story. He tells us about his showcase in Europe, the inspiration behind the collection and more.

The brand predominantly offers ready-to-wear menswear. It also has unisex clothing and womenswear collections. Born in the inner city of Johannesburg, Wanda embodies its culture and flair in his designs, bringing alive the historic stories that are hidden beneath its depth.

“We try to replicate the often unnoticed and ignored conversations of South Africa. Things that are hidden in plain sight that we often ignore or often don't take or don't appreciate in the manner that I believe we should. My brand seeks to explore those notions, explore those conversations, and bring them to light in an obvious way but in a very meaningful way to how we appreciate those things,” he says.

Bridging the gap in how people view fashion and intending to see the positive in what is deemed “dark” he says, “I think in South Africa, or my understanding is, my upbringing, there was a lot of missing gaps, conversations that were meant to be had. I look at my mom and my late dad and the conversations about their shopping experiences as teenagers or young adults. Looking at my family archives and photos, South African photos especially historic photos of our parents can be grouped and categorized in a very dark way, whereas I look at the positives.”

Adding that, “They don't always get categorised as fashion which I think is incorrect because some of the photos of my parents or the conversations, not even just photos, the conversations, cultural movements, cultural styles and nuances can be categorised as a level of art or even fashion.”

His brand has evolved throughout the years.

“I think my brand has evolved in true nature as any fashion brand does. You start from selling a garment to close friends and family that support your dreams and aspirations. [They] see some potential in your design work or see something that they're drawn towards from a maybe conversational point that you're trying to have and raise. 

“That expands into immediate community, creative community of my city, Johannesburg, that expands nationally with stores from other cities seeing the work that we're producing and being interested. That expands as it should or as it would into a continental shift where other nations, other people from other communities, other countries start recognising the work [and] start celebrating you for the work and the conversation that you're trying to have,” he says.

By marrying fashion and culture, Wanda is creating thought-provoking conversation through his collections. Now back in Joburg basking in the success of his Europe trip after Paris Fashion Week, he tells TRUELOVE that the Paris showroom was “well received”.

“It was amazing. Paris reminds me of Joburg in a way, just a bigger Joburg with a bigger community of people who have existed in that place for years and sort of understand and navigate it in a way that we do here.

“Our collection in Paris was well received and supported by a growing community that is starting to recognise our brand, work and is starting to engage us in the conversations that we're trying to use through fashion," he says.

The collection will be available at Merchants on Long.

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However, he says it wasn’t his first time showcasing in the ‘City of Love’ as he had a showroom earlier this year. He says whether he showcases his collections at home or in Paris “it's always a privilege to be able to show work and have people respond to it”.

Speaking on his Paris Fashion Week showroom he adds that, “It's always great because you also get to show work with other brands and see other brand work, big brands, smaller emerging brands that have been there for decades, legacy brands, and show in sort of like the same space, similar spaces, closed spaces, and get to see buyers.

“It's great to be able to navigate and speak to people and connect with people about why design, and especially fashion design, can be such an important tool in having cultural conversations that can shape our generation and possibly shape the next generation in a way that is truly authentic to myself, truly authentic to my brand, but also in a way that will be truly reflecting of my life experiences through fashion.

"It was amazing. I'm always honored. I'm always aware of the privileges afforded to me, but that sort of helped me get into those spaces and sort of helped me navigate those spaces in a way that can be empowering for my brand and business, but also in a way that can be empowering for my community and the reflections of my work,” Wanda says.

His latest collection, Our People, is inspired by the encounters he witnessed in the 90s. All his collections have sentimental meaning. 

“Our People (the collection) was inspired by my upbringing. So, it's sort of like having those conversations about different times of my life. I remember in the 90s, I was young, like when I was six, I remember sort of the great migration of Congolese men running away from the war in the Congo and landing in Hillbrow, and sort of integrating themselves into that culture. And you would find these Congolese men and women would maybe work whatever jobs they would work during the week and dress as any working person would. And then on a Saturday, because of cultural events and sort of dance and music, would try to maybe integrate into a pantsula subculture or dancing group and dress like a pantsula.

“But then on the Sunday, when they go to church, dressing traditional Congolese attire, and sort of navigating themselves within this new context, they would find themselves in. And I would watch that from like several communities that would migrate to Johannesburg - Nigerians, Ethiopians, Pakistanis' and all these sorts of cultures,” Wanda recalls.

“So, the collection sort of reflects [several] conversations I've had with myself, with my family, about how I grew up. I miss this essence of dance, music, subcultures growing up. Everyone was in a crew, everyone was in a collective, whereas I find now I miss that, like everyone is a sort of individual, which is great, don't get me wrong, because people can be themselves in the way that they want to.

“But I miss the collective spirit of togetherness and being in a collective and a crew, and whether it was a dance crew, a music crew, a fashion crew, I miss that, whereas I feel now everyone's gone into being the solo influencer, which is taken away from the spirit of collective togetherness,” he ponders.

Staying true to his quintessence and not letting trends influence his brand, the designer elucidates that “we believe the stories we have to share matter more than the aesthetics of commerce or the aesthetics that can translate into commerce and business”.

“As much as our business does need the commerce to stay alive, I believe, we're at such a fragile point where the stories that we're trying to communicate, the conversation that we're trying to have with ourselves, with our community, with the world, those conversations matter more right now.”

“We still are at a foundational phase where we're building the brand, our pillars, values, aesthetics, and the things that matter to us. And right now our voice is the sort of thing that keeps us driven, that keeps us going”; adding that “The multiple stories of generations past that weren't heard, that couldn't be heard through oppressive systems that kept them down is sort of the inspiration that keeps us going to be able to share people's stories, our own, our parents, in a way that truly matters to our community is the trend for us.”