Rich Mnisi is regarded as one of the most exciting contemporary voices in the fashion industry on the African continent.

Words By Sizwe Shabalala

Through the RICH MNISI brand and his partnership with Johnnie Walker, the Johannesburg-born designer is making sure that he constantly finding ways to disrupt the norm in order to make space for new ideas to exist and push the culture forward.

When he reflects on some of his earliest memories with fashion, he recalls a period in his life where he would watch his sister experiment with all kinds of clothes as a way of expressing herself and that was around the same time the seeds for his passion for fashion were planted.

“It wasn’t until I was in Grade 11, when a fashion school came to our high school for career day that I was exposed to the fashion industry and the idea of fashion being an actual career for myself.”

The name, Rich Mnisi is now synonymous with words such as, Brave, Trailblazing, Bold and kids growing up today in the world of social media have access to him for inspiration. However, growing up, Rich himself says he didn’t exactly have direct role models that were instrumental in helping him find his voice or inspire him to be brave in his truth the same way he is now that to young kids all over the world.

“Pop culture definitely played a big role later on in my life. I remember how inspired I was by the likes of Lady Gaga and it was during those times that I started to feel inspired and empowered to be confident and brave in my truth and who I am.”

Outside of the fashion and beauty industry, his creations are largely inspired by his family’s rich culture and stories. That is his core inspiration that informs how he creates.

“Everything is based around my family and so, it’s all about taking stories and inspiration from them directly in terms of how they dress or just express themselves from a general point of view. It becomes a lot easier for me because I speak from a lived experience, which then makes it very personal.”

The RICH MNISI brand, he says, was started right after graduating and, at the time, there were a lot of things he didn’t know about the industry and so, everyday presented itself with an opportunity to learn. He admits that, even to this day, he is still constantly learning and finding new ways to get better.

“The one thing I appreciate about how I do things is that I let the brand inform my decisions. For example, us launching the online store was because we needed a response to COVID and how the pandemic had affected our business and now that online platform has become an essential part of our business. Letting each moment inform our next decision, has helped a lot, especially in this era of the internet, it’s always good to stay on the pulse.”

The idea of keeping an open mind and being okay with evolving is something that Rich has made sure his brand encompasses wholeheartedly. He admits that even his entrepreneurial motivations have evolved over time.

“When I first started the brand, it was about me showing my talent. However, when I started making progress in the fashion industry, the focus shifted and it became about the people I work with and the importance of creating jobs. That’s why I stay in this country and still produce my work in this country because I feel that there is so much that needs to be done, especially when you look at our unemployment rate issue that needs to be addressed urgently. Success for me now is the number of people we get to work with and how that changes their lives as well so they can better their own situations and those around them.”

From being crowned as the African Fashion International Young designer at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Africa a few years ago, to showcasing his collection at the Design Indaba expo in 2015 and to being part of the Forbes 30 Under 30 class of 2019, Rich has been on quite the inspiring journey thus far. His work has even been featured on internationally recognized platforms such as, ELLE, GQ, Dazed and Confused. His work has even found its way to Beyonce but Rich admits that he tries to not dwell too much on these achievements.

“I do something and then I move on. I don’t let those moments inform how I move forward and I believe that approach keeps me focused. That’s how I approach life. I think sometimes people get clouded by their moments of success.”

The more popular his name grows; the more other brands want to associate with him. Johnnie Walker is one of those brands that seems to have found the perfect partnership in Rich Mnisi. Johnnie Walker recently announced their new Walkers Programme, designed to lead cultural experiences and reel in consumers from diverse backgrounds to experience the world of Walker like never before.

“My relationship with Johnnie Walker started about 3 years ago. I used to look at them as just another brand but over the years we’ve developed such great connection and relationship, especially because we believe in the same things.”

With inclusion and diversity at the heart of the Walkers Programme, Johnnie Walker is holding nothing back to break down barriers and stereotypes that stand between a fully inclusive world with equal opportunities, acceptance and appreciation for all beyond race, gender, romantic patterns and creed.

With the intention of further breaking down cultural norms to ensure that everyone has the space they so rightly deserve by encouraging a bigger and bolder lifestyle, it makes sense why Johnnie Walker would, once again, align with Rich Mnisi to continue the journey to change and challenge the world of whisky.

“They’ve accepted me for what I am. It has now become a personal thing because they support my community. For a whiskey brand, I find them extremely progressive, especially when it comes to them representing queer bodies in a whiskey space, which is unusual. It’s almost unheard of.”

Through this partnership, the Johnnie Walker aims to encourage South Africans to find their voice through freedom of expression without fear of prejudice the same way the Walkers found theirs.

Every day we are seeing gradual changes and steps made towards being a more inclusive society but we aren’t fully there yet. While this partnership with Johnnie Walker is pivotal in changing the narrative within society, Rich admits that there’s still a lot of work to be done and other brands still have a very long way to go.

“I would really like to see brands be more open-minded and engaging with us more. What I love about some of my meetings at Johnnie Walker is that they’re always willing to ask more questions than they have answers. I would like to see brands be more aware and conscious to the fact that they don’t know everything and it’s okay to let go of old ways because so many of the things we were taught growing up are flawed. It’s about accepting new information, especially when it comes to someone telling you how they feel because how someone feels isn’t something that can be debated.”

“We’re in a time right now where, it is important for African artists to speak for their heritage because we have an opportunity to rewrite our own history and that’s why I am very intentional with how I position and speak on the Rich Mnisi brand because I want it to one day be as great as all the other brands that come from families of great heritage and legacy.”