Magents Lifestyle Apparel’s limited edition “Azania Wrapper” sneaker and Reason’s “Welcome to Azania” single, will collectively drop at Sneaker Exchange – the continent’s largest sneaker expo – on Saturday, 28 April in Cape Town and Saturday, 5 May in Johannesburg.
Historically, “Azania” is the name of the collection of countries in the Southern African region before they were individually named, and has also been associated with various liberation movements. However, for Magents and Reason “Azania” is rooted in the rise of African excellence and a cultural aWOKEness!
Magents conceptual designer, Thei, poetically paints a visual picture of the limited edition sneakers which will retail at R1 599.00 at their stores in South Africa.
“The Azania Wrapper is a sneaker designed from the sole up. The silhouette is a mid top sneaker that has a beautiful adjustable heel leather strap that ensures ankle comfort. There’s subtle branding, just the three men logo stamped on a circular Italian leather patch. Finally, the sole is white with an orange African continent at the top accompanied by the three men logo in a circle underneath. Only the finest Italian leather and craftsmanship were applied in the construction of the Azanian Wrapper … We have taken our time to learn from our Italian counterparts what it takes to make a top end sneaker, which includes the outer sole, the last and a high-end finishing of the leather. The shoes are available in brown or tan as these colours extenuate the African soil.”
Among the many long-time fans of the Magents brand is South African rapper Reason whose childhood dream of partnering with Magents became a reality with the Azania collaboration.
“For me, the significance of this collaboration is the beginning of a conversation around being pro-South African and celebrating local products. They [Magents] are a South African clothing brand, I am a South African musician, and we are coming together to sell two South African products to the South African people that are as equally qualified and of high-quality as all the international products out there,” says Reason.
“Welcome to Azania” – featuring Sibongile Khumalo and produced by, multi-award winning international hip-hop producer, Swizz Beatz – is the first single to drop from Reason’s Album “Azania”, set to release in September 2018.
With the ever-changing evolution of music and fashion, Magents founder, Didier, says as Africans we should always be at the forefront of promoting ourselves, but not at the cost of quality nor excellence.
“It is time for us to tell our own stories from an African perspective as the story has not fully been told… I hope we stay relevant to the culture and be part of shaping it. Once we’ve solidified our presence in South Africa we will expand into the rest of the continent and then overseas…” says Didier.
For many generations, the relationship between music and hip-hop has been one of mutual respect and inspiration – and the collaboration between the “Azania Wrapper” and “Welcome to Azania” supports the sentiment that when two innovative brands unite they are able to ignite a passion in people that causes them to abandon restraint and rise from within.
