It’s beautiful to see abantwana bedlozi (children of the ancestors) wear their calling with pride.
Nape Phasha, the founder of Dlozi, opened his third store in Newtown Junction, Johannesburg. The other two are in Pretoria and Kuruman.
Dlozi is a South African brand that specialises in ancestral wear. Founded in 2020, Phasha’s brand was inspired by his mother.
“My late mother is an inspiration behind this movement. She was a traditional womb specialist as she also struggled to conceive after marriage, which led to her undergoing the initiation process and, only after that, myself and my other three siblings were born.
“This is where addressing myself as ‘ngwana badimo’ comes from. I am a child of the ancestors, and after I printed a T-shirt for myself and posted a picture on social media, South Africa could relate. Later that same night, my inbox was floating with messages of people wanting the same T-shirt,” says Phasha.
His brand has attracted many ancestral children, including South African actress Letoya Pulumo, the biggest supporter of the brand.
At the launch in Newtown, Pulumo interacted with lovers of the brand and encouraged the owner to get more stock.
“Beautiful and amazing launch by Dlozi. The place was filled to capacity, and hoping they will fully stock up again. @dlozi_ngwana_badimo I’m in awe and a big client right now or at this point, should I say, business partner. Wishing the whole team all the best.”
Some famous people who attended the launch include former Orlando Pirates captain Lucky Lekgwathi.