Friday, 19 August 2022, saw the launch of a soft collaboration between S.W.A.N.K Jozi and WAFFLESNCREAM Nigeria. This was easily the kind of organic street culture connection that all of us will be excited about for a while. Hosted at the S.W.A.N.K store in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, the two brands drew a consistent crowd of patriot skateboarders, musicians and other artists in celebration of the event.
Speaking to the founders of both brands, they shared how a chance meeting led to their collaboration. Jomi, of WAFFLESNCREAM, was invited to Johannesburg by Patta as a speaker at ‘The Next Wave’, an event that had taken place 10 days earlier. During the after party, the WAF team met with Mahoota from S.W.A.N.K and hung out at the store for days after, talking ideas and what’s next for young Africans in the creative space.
S.W.A.N.K and WAFFLESNCREAM share a philosophy around street culture that makes it easy to understand the work they’ve expressed they anticipate continuing to do together. During the interview, they shared that they hope that their collaboration opens more people up to connecting towards common goals; we represent each other, love each other, teach each other and are what Jomi defines as ambassadors of the same thing in different spaces.
“All roads lead to one”, Mahoota of S.W.A.N.K Jozi states.
An important factor in being the ambassadors of creative culture is always having an engaged respect for players in the rest of the continent. Mahoota describes that his first encounter with the brand WAFFLESNCREAM happened during the lockdown period when he intentionally spent his time researching both established and emerging streetwear brands in the diaspora. The relationship between brands like WAF and other South African brands became stark to him and justified a readiness to inevitably collaborate.
Both founders stress the importance of travelling within the continent to share and spread the energy of our work. Moving around and joining forces to continue the impact of what we do facilitates how we’re amplified to the rest of the world. Both S.W.A.N.K and WAF do work with artists all around Africa and believe that is the strongest way to ground their roots through street wear, skateboarding or gaming, and cultural experiences.
WAFFLESNCREAM currently have their product on rails right beside S.W.A.N.K clothing in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, and have shared that there may be an official WAF x S.W.A.N.K product collaboration looming.
“ITS FUCKING COLD” – Jomi, WAFFLESNCREAM
