By Seleoe Nonyane
Two of the fastest growing local clothing brands in the country have announced that they will be partnering on a new range.
City Kings and Joachim Garments revealed some weeks ago that they had joined hands and were working on releasing a clothing range that will be launched in September this year.
City Kings is a apparel brand that was established in May 2018; it produces jackets, leggings, sweaters, T-shirts, hats and many more.
The company also supplies clothes to corporate organisations such as commercial banks.
On the other hand, Joachim Garments was founded in 2019. It is a Basotho luxury streetwear brand that offers a wide range of clothing such as dresses, jackets, and pants.
Talking to theReporter this week, the owner of City Kings, Matsau Vincent Molai, said the duration of the partnership will be determined by how well the new range performs on the market.
Matsau said he approached the founder of Joachim Garments, Katiso Tsoho, about the idea and he welcomed it with open arms
He said he opted for Joachim Garments due to the fact that the brand has been doing really well, and he believes that his brand’s principles are aligned or similar to those of Joachim Garments.
Matsau also waxed lyrical about Tsoho’s work ethic, citing that he is learning a lot from him.
“Katiso is a hard worker and he is very creative so this is also helping me to better my craft and vice versa,” he noted.
Matsau is confident that the collaboration will benefit both brands and attract more clients.
“For instance, just because the brands are popular does not mean everyone knows about them. Some people just know City Kings and not Joachim Garments.
“So, this partnership will help bring exposure to both the brands,” he indicated.
Matsau said some members of the public believe that the two brands are in competition; so the collaboration will demonstrate that even though two brands can be perceived to be competitors, they can still work together.
He explained that for a long time, the public has not supported local brands like they do international brands, so he hopes this union will change that.
For his part, Tsoho said the partnership has been very fruitful for him as it has given him an opportunity to look at designing from Matsau’s perspective.
He said he was thrilled to enter into the partnership because City Kings is a good brand that has been consistently doing well in the industry.
“Exchanging our different tastes and creativity is very exciting and what we are cooking is pretty amazing. I cannot wait to reveal it to our clients.
“Basotho should prepare to be blown away,” Tsoho pointed out.
He said they are hoping to reach a broader clientele even beyond the confines of the border and show the world that local fashion has what it takes to compete internationally. Both brands have grown significantly within a short period of time. City Kings launched its first shop this year while Joachim Garments now falls under a manufacturing company called Liaparo.
