Celebrating culture through urban streetwear

Butan is one of Africa’s leading streetwear brands, celebrating African cultural heritage through the means of fashion. The brand name is a rearrangement of letters in the word “bantu”. The brand name pays homage to our South African roots and heritage while the rearrangement of the letters signifies a changed, entirely new mindset and outlook on life in contemporary South Africa.

Butan marketing manager Ayanda Njanya speaks to The Citizen about the growth of urban streetwear.

Tell us about the brand – where did it start?

It is this fusion between cultural heritage and the present-day experience that creates the unique look and feel of the brand. The brand’s origins can be traced back to 2001 when the first-ever iron-on T-shirt print was produced. The brand became commercially available in 2006 at a store in Long Street, Cape Town.

Urban and streetwear are growing – who is the reception of the line?

Streetwear is growing from strength to strength. The reception to our latest line has been incredible. We have continued to explore some of our core narratives and more people are catching on to the ethos as well as the aesthetic of our brand.

Tell us about the latest designs and relevance?

The latest drop includes the Spaza, Khanga, Adinkra, as well as Butan Panthers and Aluta Mask capsules. The Spaza capsule celebrates the artistic illustrations of consumer products found on the outside of spaza shops in the townships. The Khanga capsule pays homage to the traditional khanga printed cloth, with its origin in Swaziland and its use by traditional healers.

The Adinkra capsule focuses on the ancient writing system originating in Ghana to highlight the fact that African languages do have a written component. Usually, the West regards African languages as purely verbal. The Adinkra symbols represent concepts and messages of wisdom.

The Panthers collection is inspired by the Black Panther movement of the 1960s and represents the spirit animal of the brand, which is a reflection of the activist and warrior spirit of the brand fighting against injustices and inequality. Lastly, the Aluta Mask collection, with its central image of an African mask,n represents our identity as Africans, which has largely been stripped and replaced by Western ideals.

The brand has standout colours – what is the significance of these?

There are two sets of colour combinations that we make use of in most of our collections, and they are known as the Pan African colours. The first combination is that of red, black, and green, and the second one green, yellow (gold), and red. Black represents the colour of the African people. Red represents the blood that unites all Africans as well as the blood that was shed for liberation. Green represents Africa’s natural beauty and lastly, yellow (gold) represents the natural wealth of the continent.

Your market is mostly male but you’ve ventured into females. Is this making the stance that you’re non binary?

Our garments are constructed from what one would consider as traditionally male silhouettes, yet we see our collections more as a unisex offering.

Why does it resonate so deeply with hip-hop artists and the culture?

The brand has its roots in hiphop culture and the aesthetic of the brand is deeply influenced by SA street culture. The brand has many close ties with local hip-hop artists, skateboarders and breakdancers.

What’s next for Butan?

We are currently on a growth path and are working on making it available across the African continent. We believe that it is a necessary mission to spread African stories, culture, and pride across the continent in line with our Pan African vision. In line with these endeavors, we are tirelessly creating even large ranges with a vast creative exploration of stories found across the continent.

Is social media working as a strong platform to market the gear?

South Africa, with Covid being our current reality, has been thrust into the digital sphere. Our clientele is quite tech-savvy and is receptive to the messaging on social media. So ‘yes’, social media is a platform that we utilise to communicate with our audience and clientele.

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