Index
Pg 1: The Story Pg 9: Our Brands Pg 11: Mtindo Pg 15: Bambata Pg 25: Nolandu Couture Pg 32: Our Team
THE STORY BEHIND THE CULTURE A NEW CULTURE ARISES
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We live in a society that is influenced by culture. It is the foundation of all trends and all influences that drive the youth today. It is not any particular culture but it is a feeling that is mutually felt through each and every one of us. A culture allows us to follow certain trends, fit into a particular group or people. A culture defines a part of us in this day in age.
Trends, fashion, as well as influence are usually the core elements of an upcoming and starting culture. In terms of clothe obviously.
We want to share with you today the vision we had when we decided to start CULTURESTORE. The story behind the store will be issued later but since this is the first issue, we will share the vision with you. Culturestore is a platform for local brands to showcase their wonderful works of art. Each brand owner and/or designer had a dream when they start their brand. Goals that drive them towards the destination and it is our duty to make sure that those dreams come true. 2
But why local brands? Simply because big international brands have a clichĂŠ way of doing things and in most cases it is simple designs at a high price. But anyways, we target local brands because it is the new culture or rather soon to be the new culture. We want local brands to shake
grounds, to move mountains, to become a threat, to demolish and finally to become the new culture in fashion. They (local brands) showcase a lot of unique designs and talent, giving you nothing but raw and original flavor of fashion. Yes, it can be said that street-wear is all the
same; fanny pack, long t-shirt, ž pants and some skating shoes. Sure, it looks simple and every second kid in Braamfontein dresses like this but count how many of them are wearing local brands‌
The vision we have as store is not to change your style of dress,, favourite colour or even your look. It is simply to introduce you to a new world that has been created by our brothers and sisters hustling. Through this vision we will grow as a nation and a people of South Africa.
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In this issue we will be introducing you to the brands of CULTURESTORE; The core ingredients; what makes the store. This issue will simply be focusing on the foundation and structure of the store. We will be introducing to you the team behind everything. Their likes, interests and dislikes and why they love working CULTURESTORE.
It is also our job to show you who you are actually supporting. That is why after introducing the brands to you we will be also introducing the CULTURESTORE family to you. The store composed of a team of 10, each person having their own role to play and some waiting for orders to be given. This makes it interesting because here we are; working with tertiary students;
people who are either, trying to make a name for themselves, make a mark in their everyday lives , or party their lives away. But we are glad that non of the team members are part of any of the descriptions above. More interestingly we would like to think of them as ticking time bombs. You never know when a young adult might rage‌ You can never know what is going through that head so it was quite tough and easy chosing the team. I would not say that they are the worst or the best. I mean, they have their flaws but they always strive to do best. to a stranger and slap Here is a run- 1. We looked for someone who is un- them and walk away, down on what predictable. not run away, but walk
type of people we were looking for when we scouted for a team:
away.
Someone who was not easy to follow around and study their way of living. A person who was practically living on the verge. A maniac I tell you. Someone who would walk up
2. We looked for a quiet person, a “yes man”. Someone who would take orders and obey. Our very own Butler of CULTURESTORE. Oh yes, some one to check the inks in our pens, our diaries, someone who would check every 25 minutes if we are still full. The life…
3. This third criteria…
I must say it was not easy finding this type of person. We looked for someone who was into fashion like bees to pollen. Not your typical “skrrr…skrrr” kid. But your Louis Vuitton, David Tlale, or Virgil Abloh type of person. We looked for someone who was born into it. Someone crazy enough to design a meat dress (Lady Gaga). Or something that looks hideous in the public eye but great in their own eyes.
4. We looked for a slay queen! Yes. A slay queen. Why might you ask? Let us tell you why… you see as a starting up online store. We are new to the field of online shopping and when we approach our potential clients the first thing they ask is: “How many items do you sell on your site?”. And we usually tell them that we sell 20+. I mean we stared three months ago. With a slay queen on our side we would say “100+”. How? Easy. You see with every bottle of champagne they are willing to buy for her, she would simply reject it and request that the money be spent on the store. And that is how we would make sales. And she (Slay queen) would start wearing modest and descent clohes.
5. We looked for a dreamer. Oh yeah! Not your typical dreamer though.
We looked for your typical Tim (FAIRLY ODD PARENTS). Someone who actually thought that someday we would have a weather that is cloudy with a chance of meatballs. A visionary, a young “pre-sangoma�. Someone who would sleep and wake up the next day knowing the future of CULTURESTORE. Yes a prophet or fortune teller of some sort. Someone who would prevent us from making mistakes and bumping into barriers and obstacles that would slow down the growth rate.
uals who are hunNeedless to say that gry for success and we never found what growth. A group who we looked for when is willing to look at we started searchmistakes not as failing for a team. We ures but as life lesdid not find our unsons. We found a not predictable person, so elite team but a our very own butler, close to perfect one. our very own David Where dreaming only Tlale, a slay queen or happens when they a dreamer/prophet of are sleeping. some sort. We do not expect much from them. All What we found was we expect from them more than that. We is to treat this movefounds friends; broth- ment and culture as ers and a sisters. their baby. Not to neWe have grown into glect it nor abandon becoming a family it, but to give it their and trusting that we all. will do what is expected of us individually and as a store. A group of individ-
Our Brands We travelled across the fashion streets. We were impressed with many and though we wanted them all. We couldn’t get our hands on all of them. It is our duty to scout and look for the best local brands that are hip and popping the local fashion streets, and once we find them, it is our promise to them to empower them and to elevate them into higher levels. One thing for sure is that it is not easy to host an online store for local clothing brands. Why? One word: FEAR. Local brand owners are afraid out here, they are too
scared to take the leap of faith. Why? Simply because it is their dream, their daily hustle, their one-way ticket out of Egypt and into the Promised Land; basically it is their everything. So with that said, it is quite hard to get a lot of people on board. It is like giving your everything to a girl or boy that you just met and hoping that things will work out well for the both of you in the end, and we all know the turn out 90% of the time. But faith and trust can change that.
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Throughout the three months that we have been up and running we have gained some brands and lost a few. We have hustled and looked for a lot of brands and it has come down to what we call the selected few”, just to console ourselves of course. Not really. Every month we will be revealing new brands on the site and exposing you to a new sense of fashion from different per-
spectives. So these aren’t the only brands that will be working with us. Just the “selected few”. We give you, not in any order, the brands that will be on Culturestore now and forever.
Mtindo Wa Afrika Mtindo meaning fashionable in Swahili is a designer/costume clothing brand that infuses African patterns and prints on clothes. The brand admires the beauty behind African colours and prints. Our clothes tell a story about African culture and tradition through fashion, style and street wear. Our clothes are created for people who love and appreciate art, culture, tradition and heritage. Basically people who want to express themselves through clothes. One of the most exciting things about our clothes is that you can get to wear them anywhere and anytime you feel like wearing colour, it doesn’t
When was the brand Established? Mtindo wa Afrika was established March 2017 and was launched 27 April. 13
Bambata The Bambata Apparel and Luxury brand is born and bred in South Africa. The word Bambata which means Stomp, Tread Heavily and Noisily, to show Eagerness and Aggression, is reflected in the contemporary designs of the clothing. 17
PETROL OR MILK (POM) is a signature design of Bambata. The Hybrid motorcycle and cow shows where the rural and
urban meet; it represents our continous strive towards progression, crafted for people who are visionary, positive and
willing to change the world, we believe everybody can achieve any goal or dream regardless of where they come from.
We believe every single person has a unique gift in them and the only way to realise it is to work on it until it comes alive. KEEP MOVING FORWARD.
BAMBY The logo “Bambata” also pronounced “BAMBY” in our Bambata slang characterises a confident and stylish Flamboyant kid who aspires to live a porshe life.
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Meet ‘Nolandu Couture’ – a fresh fashion range that achieves the perfect balance between class, style, elegance and comfort. Nolandu Couture is the brainchild of Sibongiseni (Seni) Madlingozi.
Nolandu Couture is the brainchild of Sibongiseni (Seni) Madlingozi. Derived from her African clan name, ‘Luphundle Nolandu’ means comfort and warmth. Nolandu Couture not only embodies an enchanting fusion of sophistication and style but also achieves the pride that resonates among women who ap-
preciate understated elegance. Seni Madlingozi is the founder of Nolandu Couture. She is a solutions-driven creative with a passion for fashion. Swapping her profession in Accounting to follow her innate love and passion for fashion and clothing.
SAMPLE merchandise is a clothing brand established in 2017 by three friends from the East Rand of Johannesburg. With the garments inspired by the skate boarding culture and street wear. SAMPLE, is also inspired by the Arts and social conflicts. The brand aims to transcend from just a street wear brand that encourages protest, social change, conversation, self-expression and creativity.
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R230 Smile Tee
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Our very own CEO. Thato Lesetla was born on the 6th of May 1998. He grew up in the streets of Kwa-Thema. Thato has always had the love for computers. He always had the urge and hunger of success and was always interested in business. All this started back in the day when he approached clubs to make websites for them. This gave him exposure to the world of web design and graphic designers which soon opened doors and opportunities to start Culturestore. He is currently planning to build an empire in e-commerce whereby it will be a hub of all local fashion and street-wear.
What inspired you to start Culturestore? ”Some of my friends had brands but struggled to get exposure. Then I heard about Skinny Sbu and his successes and achievement, I then wanted to give everyone that oppoertunity to make it in the fashion world. So that everyone one day has their own achievement or success to boast about.” What drives and inspires you? “During my first year in varsity my fees for the residence were not payed and there came a time where I was facing eviction. My father said he will take care of everything. A month after the whole situation he still had not done anything. One afternoon coming back from hockey practice I found myself locked out my own room. I was alone and stranded with no one to go to. That day I had to make plan as to where I was going to sleep. After every recess, I always had the fear that when I go back to the residence they might reject my entry. Same thing happened to my little brother, but in terms of support and being there. After that I saw that I was the only one that could help myself and pull myself out of the mud. That is what drives me everyday.
I simply get my inspiration from my mom. Because from the little she had, she managed to do a lot for us. And I started to realize that I should remove the weight from her shoulders. This also gives me the urge to give her everyt-hing that she had ever wished for.� Where do you want to see Culturestore in the future? I want to see us as the most preferred online store for local brands in South Africa. Not only that, but also giving each and every local brand access and experience to an online store. To not only focus on a but to branch into other fields like music and art that will help empower the youth of South Africa.
Thato Letoaba The right hand man to our very own CEO, the president. He is the advisor and thinker of the store. Thato Letoaba was also born on the 6th of May 1998. And he too grew up in the streets of Kwa-Thema. On the contrary he was never into the world of business. Only focusses only on gaining more insight into everyday things. When he agreed to join CULTURESTORE it was only because he wanted to -explore his passion for fashion world but obviously fell in love with everything. This is why we still have him. He focusses much on getting the brands and making the work place fun and enjoyable. 1. What sets you apart from everyone? “I analyze things a lot, I guess. I hardly do things from the get go without calculating every possible outcome. I put emotions aside when it comes to business especially when it come to money; crises or not, I hardly care whose cat or dog died. i have come to learn that there are no friends in this world of business and you need to be savage to survive here. One other thing is that no one does research like me. I also make fun of serious situations just to ease the tension. I just like having fun, but not too much.” 2. What are your goals for CULTURESTORE? “To push it to new heights. To make CULTURESTORE the only online store for local brands, something like what Microsoft did in the 70’s. You see, I don’t want us to be a one-hit wonder and have constant reminder of what we could’ve become. I want people to know that we are here to stay and destroy. And obviously I will not be able to achieve this without a strong team and positive minds.”
Do you enjoy working for CULTURESTORE? “YES! I mean not everyday will be paradise and butterflies everywhere but you just have to deal with all the mess you come across. Personally, sometimes I feel like I am going to implode or I feel like I want to rip myself into pieces. What keeps me going? It’s the love I have for the store. I mean sometimes the pressure of balancing my social life and school can take a toll on me but I guess I have to do what I have to in order to do what I want to. It is really a great experience for me and opportunity. I am doing things that I never thought I would do in my life like watching Alexander Wang documentaries, Vogue interviews and runway news just to keep up. It’s a lot but awesome at the same time.”
“Wassup I go by the name Mc Makwela yes Mc Makwela, cool name right? I know. I grew up in Midrand and later moved to the East Rand. I am mostly known for the marketing, manage and promoting clubs and events. I am a very talkative and persuasive person who likes knowing something about everything always keen to listen and learn new stuff. I’m the Marketing Director and shareholder of CULTURESTORE. My sense of fashion is horrible funny enough, but being part of CULTURESTORE gave me a piece of mind the importance of self-image, and I strongly believe that if you want to succeed as much as you want to breathe then you’ll be successful.” Why work for CULTURESTORE? “ I chose to work for CULTURESTORE mainly because I am inspired by young people who decided to not depend on the world. Young people who have the same vision and drive as I do.” What is it that you like most about CULTURESTORE? “ what I like most about CULTURESTORE ia that it is black owned and that it is inspired by South African culture. It also gives the vision to young people to start dreaming big and believing that they can.” Any future plans for the store? “The plans are growth, learning, getting more people on board and growing the brand.”
www.culturestore.co.za mc@culturestore.co.za
“I go by the name of Refentse Mokhachane, commonly known as Fefe and I am the CFO of CULTURESTORE. I am in charge of all the finances and I got to make sure the company always has cash and that we always make cash. Being a part of a movement like this one is amazing because CULTURESTORE gives a platform to up and coming brands to showcase their merchandise to a larger audience of consumers. CULTURESTORE is a force to be reckoned with, and all I’ll say is that people have to watch the space. You can get me on Instagram as @thereal_fefe”
“Luffuno Mavie,that is who I am.My journey with CULTURESTORE was very random and somewhat sudden. My interest for clothing and fashion stuck onto the concept very quickly. Being a person who loves helping others grow and reciprocating the support I would get, it is a pleasure working with this brand to help build many other brands; which is a cool concept I haven’t seen nor heard of before. Like most people I could be victim of social media addiction so the best way for me to help is to incorporate what I like about CULTURESTORE and knowing a lot of people. Being an organized company, it makes it easier to work with it because it is luring. With the road to success this business is headed, I am honored to be a part of the journey. Follow @_lufuno and I will make it a point that you should be wearing the latest from CULTURESTORE.”
“I am Boipelo “Kylo” Msimango. I was born in the East Rand and grew up in the streets of Kwa Thema. I am a very enthusiastic person especially when it comes to “the hustle” and make a success out of everything I lay hands on. I am a self-taught graphic designer, a proud member of the Utopia movement (an events group) and the content creator for CULTURESTORE. Being a part of this new movement as well as having first-hand experience is amazing. We find ourselves in a world where by our thoughts today could be someone else’s idea tomorrow; and whoever thought of such really helped my boys. I look forward to the roller-coaster ride ahead because nothing great never comes easy.”
“I’m Sinamahle Dlamini a fashion student at LISOF, currently studying toward my BCom Fashion. My at CULTURESTORE, is to aid in ensuring that our shoppers receive items that are trending and of high quality; through vigorous trend forecasting and listening to your demands via our socials. Being a part of CULTURESTORE is an adventure and a new experience for me. The whole team has a passion and vision for the South African fashion industry. We want to be a part of it and we want you to take part in growing and supporting our Local and Proudly South African designers.”
Omolemo Sechabela “I am Omolemo Sechabela from Springs, the East Rand. I grew up in the streets of Kwa Thema. I currently live and study in Pretoria. I like to consider myself very outspoken and work efficient. I am a teacher/ motivator at heart. My true passion is helping others to be inspired. I love my role in CULTURESTORE in the marketing field. Being in charge of one of their social media platforms allows me to interact with people as well as learn a lot about what the world around me. You can find me on Instagram and Twitter as @lemobohemian.�
My name is Lungelo Blow Masombuka part of the Culturestore team, my role is dealing with the legislative department and to help carrying out the movement and vision that culturestore foresees, to uplift, promote and bring all local brands closer to the communities of Souther Africa through the use of online shopping. Basically “That’s one small step for a online store and a giant leap for Street culture.”
“I am Andile Mbatha from Richard’s Bay, Kwazulu Natal. I came to Pretoria to further my studies as well as become exposed to new experiences. Fashion is one of my many interests, particularly clothes. I am fascinated by the number of ways that we are able to construct a desireable look that is relevant in our modern day culture. This was probably the main reason as to why I decided to partner up and work with CULTURESTORE. Being a growing company/brand that has so much potential, believe that it will go far. And being on the team makes me believe that we will reach new heights.”
GET YOUR BRAND ON
WE ARE CULTURESTORE Now that you have met the team be sure to follow them on their social media platforms. This is basically the structure of the store. Through history we know that in big and successful companies there also those in the background who pull the strings. We like to thank them as well . It is not easy running an online store with young adults and teenagers, but we manage. These past few months were not the b ust but could have been worse. Now we wouldn’t sell you a blank picture and also not know the worth or the price it costs. So here; indulge visually in our catalogue with all the brands that we have currently. The prices you see are fixed but subjected to change in due time. CULTURESTORE aims to empower local brands and without your support we are just another store. Thank you for all your purchases and following. Let us uplift the youth and local brands together. #SupportLocalBrands