Nelson Mandela’s prison number now a fashion label - Samod Biobaku writes

Nelson Mandela’s prison number now a fashion label

By Samod Biobaku

Sixthsense34@yahoo.com

Not so long ago, it began as a mere buzz in the Nigerian entertainment industry but not anymore as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) recently reported that South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela would become a part of the fledgling Johannesburg Fashion Scene in August 2011.

Mandela’s AIDS charity 46664 is to launch an international fashion label. Like the name of the charity itself, it will be called 46664 Apparel after the number Mr. Mandela wore in jail. All profits are expected to go to charity.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation adds that the label is also intended to boost South Africa’s clothing industry. The anti-apartheid icon spent 27 years in prison before becoming South Africa’s first black president in 1994. “46664 needs reliable and sustainable income streams, something we believe the 46664 Apparel can significantly contribute to,” Achmat Dangor, Chief Executive, Nelson Mandela Foundation said

He said there was clearly a market for clothes with Mr. Mandela’s former prison number as a logo as the charity’s T-shirts have always proved popular. “Historically we found that people who attended 46664 events all wanted some kind of identification with the programme,” he told the BBC.

The BBC’s Nomsa Maseko in Johannesburg says a selection of garments were shown off at the event to announce the label. The clothes included everyday wear items as well as couture outfits, she says. The men and women’s range is being designed by Seardel, South Africa’s biggest textile and clothing manufacturer.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation said the label would be launched in South Africa in August – along with a shop in Johannesburg. Stores may also be opened in the US and the UK next year.