SITHOLE Luxury House made waves at SA Menswear Week. Founder Aphiwe Sithole shares his vision for elevating African design to a global audience.
Image: Instagram/sdrphoto
Imprint ZA chose SITHOLE Luxury House eyewear to complement the runway look at SA Menswear Week in Cape Town.
Founder Aphiwe Sithole, from Cape Town, shared with IOL how the moment came about, revealing it was a natural conversation.
“I think Imprint SA and SITHOLE share the same instinct, that African design should be taken seriously on a global stage,” explained Sithole.
“The incredible Mzukisi Mbane reached out asking if we would be keen on styling Imprint looks for Fashion Week. When you're building something with real intention, the right people find you.
“Having SITHOLE on that runway at SA Menswear Week at four months old wasn't something we forced. It was the result of two brands that believe the same thing about what African fashion can be.”
SITHOLE Luxury House enters the market through eyewear, the SITHOLE Series, with each piece individually numbered and strictly limited.
Aphiwe explained that he has always been drawn to things that carry meaning and are built to last and he chose eyewear as the entry product for the house because it sits at the intersection of function and identity.
“What you put on your face says something about who you are. It can transform posture, presence, and perception.
“For a luxury house making its first statement, that felt like exactly the right place to start. And South Africa has never had a luxury house of its own. That gap felt like an opportunity and a responsibility at the same time.”
Aphiwe explained that a luxury house isn't just an expensive product. It's a set of values, a design language, a relationship with scarcity, and a long-term vision, which SITHOLE was founded on.
“Every piece is limited, individually numbered, and never restocked. We don't chase trends. We don't discount. We don't restock. That is the discipline of a luxury house. Africa has had luxury products before, but not a house. SITHOLE is the house.”
He further added that the house was built to sit alongside the houses that exist in Paris, Milan, and London.
“Global recognition isn't something you claim; it's something you build evidence for. From day one, SITHOLE was designed to operate at a global standard. The materials, the scarcity model, and the design language none of it was built for a local market.”
Aphiwe has been fortunate to not only have gifted Grammy Award-winning music producer, Black Coffee, a pair of his eyewear, but he has actually worn them.
“That doesn't happen by accident. It happens because the product speaks at that level.”
A new collection of eyewear is in development, with pieces available across the existing SITHOLE Series, the S1, S2, and S3, all individually numbered and strictly limited.
Eyewear may be the entry point for the luxury house, but it's not the destination, with more growth planned.
“SITHOLE is a house, which means it will grow the way a house grows. Deliberately, category by category, never rushing. What comes next will be announced when it's ready.
“What I can say is that everything we build will carry the same standard as what we've already put into the world,” he added.
IOL