Happy Fashion Friday! It’s still our favourite day of the week — and the perfect excuse to celebrate our biggest passion: fashion with purpose ❤️🔥
This post is a little throwback, taking us back to earlier this year for a project that continues to inspire us. Now feels like just the right time to look back, reflect, and share the magic with you.
For those who may not know her yet, Zethe is a phenomenal South African musician whose sound is deeply African, powerful, and soulfully motivational.
Her music defies categories — so rather than defining it, we encourage you to listen and experience its essence for yourself…
On 7 March 2025, Zethe lit up Johannesburg with the launch of her new album, BREATHE — a project that radiates authenticity and power. It was an honour for us at UP_PHELELE to collaborate with her on bringing her performance fashion looks to life — from concept sketches to the final stitch 🧵
The Durban leg of her BREATHE album launch was on 28 March 2025, which was hosted by The Chairman. This is when Zethe was adorned in her Qabunga Dress and this blogpost’s featured image was captured! We share our inspiration for these looks on our Instagram post – do have a read and share your thoughts HERE and HERE.
Our collaboration kicked off with a series of online meetings — conceptualising, designing, and finalising looks that perfectly complemented Zethe’s vision for BREATHE. Even with the distance, the process flowed beautifully, thanks to strong Wi-Fi and stronger teamwork! Special shoutout to Moitsheki Kobedi and Tristan Soobramoney, our talented interns who helped bring this project to life — proof that teamwork really does make the dream work✨
This collaboration reminded us once again why we do what we do — to tell stories, celebrate artistry, and craft fashion that embodies uniqueness in every thread – this is your kind reminder to embrace, celebrate, and Wear Your Uniqueness 🖤
