PUMA and Nomzamo Mbatha have done it again, dropping the second capsule of the Shandu Collection. An ode to her lineage, her Shandu Clan and to her grandmother.
The 14 piece collection is designed around her love for travel, which she now gives us a glimpse of through her new Instagram page @thislittlelife. It’s also designed to facilitate for her moves as an activist and of course the bright and beautiful African summer.
In this blog post I’ve decided to do things differently and take you through the PUMA Nomzamo Mbatha Shandu Collection in her own words.
You can catch the full conversation between PUMA ambassador and collaborator Nomzamo Mbatha and guest host Anelisa Mangcu on the PUMA Select Stories which I’ve linked HERE.
Nomzamo on what inspired the collection:
Travel wear is constantly a thing for me. Like, what’s most comfortable and what do I want to look good in whilst traveling.
Nomzamo on what she’d tell her younger self:
For me, I’d probably tell my younger self I kept the promises. I think it’s easy for people to look at where you are and wish for your journey to be in different stages, according to their own expectations. It’s easy for people to nit-pick and be like “Oh, her life must be so perfect,” without seeing the value of the hand work that you put in every single day.
I’ve always valued the principle of hard work. The energy that you put in to everything that you really want to see an outcome of.
Nomzamo on naming the collection:
With this collection and paying homage to my family name is understanding the value of legacy. You look at the biggest brands in the world or the biggest legacies in the world and there’s a surname attached to it.
There’s a sense of pride in clan names. It’s a form of affection but it’s also a form of heritage, and I just believe in the preservation of heritage.
Nomzamo on the research process for the collection:
I knew that I wanted the running of an African print somehow. It was also just researching the generation that we live in. I love what Gen Z’s do. There’s just a sense of freedom that they bring in how they dress, in how they tackle social issues… just how they move! We’re all taking notes from them.
I also just wanted to have timeless pieces. The jacket for me is timeless, it’s versatile. I wanted to have pieces where it’s like, I can have this forever, I can pay for this because I’ll have it forever, and I can wear this in the day and into the evening.
Fashion is becoming more unisex and so I wanted pieces where I’d be able to even see guy’s wearing them.
To wrap things up, I have to say that I’m particularly loving the quality of the PUMA X Shandu Collection . The cut’s comfortably fit the African silhouette and are also so relevant and speak to the simple yet effective minimalism that I’m all about right now.
I’m also quite into streetwear and these pieces work incredibly as dope sets or as pieces you can switch around with pieces within the collection or anything you have at home. There’s something for everyone!
My top three favourite pieces in no particular order:
The halter-top is a big must have this summer. A big hit in the Sprig 2021 and most recent Resort collections, this is a piece you can wear out casually in the day and later elevate for a more elegant evening vibe. The halter tops are available in two vibrant colors, Elfin Yellow and Orchard Bloom, with the subtle placing of the PUMA logo on the side.
I’m one to usually shy away from dressed because of just how transparent they can be. But with this number, I can assure you, it’s comfort all the way. You can tell that each piece has been considered. It’s giving edgy, but I aint even gotta try too much, with a sweet touch of how cute is my bootay!
Last but not least… Ok, scrap everything I said above. I can’t actually cant round up a top three. Simply because my style is so broad with varying occasions I’d rock multiple pieces at.
I won’t delve into the AOP Leggings and top sets because we all know PUMA aint here to play with that – it’s quality as per! What I will say is that these pieces are the only ones in the collection which are head to toe print, which work out great with the Bucket Hats and Half BB Cap too.
One thing about Nomzamo Mbatha is that She Moves Us, and through this collection you will get a good feeling into what she’s all about!
Shop the collection on za.puma.com
To hear more of the conversation between Nomzamo Mbatha and Anelisa Mangcu, check out the #SELECTSTORIES HERE.
