Founded in 2017 by Lebohang Serame with the help of Xola Mad, Happyville is a Jozi Maboneng based clothing brand that finds its inspiration in nostalgic street culture the world over, but maintains its rootedness in the aesthetics of Kwaito from the late 90s and early 2000s. Think Mandoza’s album cover threads from Tornado to Nkalakatha, Zola 7 back in the day and Boom Shaka’s ever immaculate drip, these are just some of the style icons Serame names as key references where Happyville’s vision and design aesthetics are concerned.
Yes time is a construct, however, four years is a short amount of time where the fashion industry is concerned. Especially when one takes into consideration that not too long after Lebohang Serame founded Happyville, COVID-19 would change and forever undo the ways of our modern world as we had come to know them — with whole societies and industries being brought to complete standstills. In the piece, The difficulty of sustaining a fashion label in South Africa, stylist and writer Lebogang Ramfate speaks about how local clothing brands worked through some of the unforeseen challenges ushered in by national lockdowns and the global pandemic, stating:
Whilst some brands struggle to stay open — others such as Rich Mnisi and Happyville are at the forefront of ‘drop’ culture. ‘Drop’ culture is whereby popular streetwear products can only be purchased directly from a brand through the ‘drop’ model. Customers are rallied to be the first online or in-stores to secure the product which is released at a particular place and time. The ‘drop’ model works for brands as a supply and demand tactic; creating hype around a brand or particular product in anticipation of the release.
Photograph by Art Villain
Photograph by Art Villain
A sophisticated strategy for mitigating potential losses and the threat of business closure for a young creative who has only been in his industry for a little over three years, but also not surprising when one hears how Serame thinks and speaks about our contemporary fashion industry and the places he looks towards for knowledge on “how to”.
As he says in conversation with Ramfate speaking about the downfall of local fashion labels of yesteryear like Loxion Kulture, Head Honcho and Stone Cherry to name a few: “Now the question of what lead to their downfall should be a case study. Ultimately, from my observations sustaining a fashion label in this country is particularly difficult because we don’t have a post-apartheid fashion brand, infrastructure or systems to be the blueprint.
As a new brand, Happyville is learning from the old brand’s past mistakes.” Crisp lines and clean silhouettes dominate the label’s design aesthetic with their garments coming in all kinds of playful colours. From leather jackets and vests, pants, accessories, hoodies and shirts, Lebohang Serame’s Happyville is no one-trick fashion pony, steady reminding us with their clothing that TSE MONATE HA DI FELE.
Photograph by Naomi Visuals
Photograph by Simba Raws
