South Africa, October 2024 — Merchants on Long’s commitment as a destination lies in its dedication to showcasing the best of African fashion and design, offering locals and internationals a unique opportunity to engage with the exceptional creative work envisioned across the continent.
For the launch of the 2024 / 2025 summer season, the renowned concept store is thrilled to announce the launch of a dynamic series of pop-up events, that began with a showcase by designer Sindiso Khumalo.
Running from October 23 – November 2nd, the selection of looks by SA’s award winning fashion designer complements a selection of SS fashion and design from a further selection of cross-continental designers. This includes accessories, mens- and womenswear, plus homeware from Rethread, Gugu by Gugu, Inke Knitwear, Luminous Ware, Namana Raffia, Viviers Studio, Anha, Okapi, and Our Earth Age; many of these designers were part of the Merchants on Long curation of the fashion show that took place at the Karoo Winter Wool Festival held earlier in the year.
Following on, in early November, the store reimagines itself with the launch of ‘ROOTS: Made in Africa’. A collaboration between Merchants on Long and the Nigerian-based LHAUDE Africa. This travelling pop-up series continues LHAUDE’s mission to unite creative businesses, brands, professionals, investors, and industry leaders shaping Africa’s fashion future.
Developed in close association with Merchants on Long, the six-day event will showcase emerging design talents and feature engaging panel discussions with key voices in African fashion. Highlights include brands Kiko Romeo, Mangishi Doll, and leading voices like Sulona Reddy, Tamburai Chirume, Errica Iacopini and Tracey Chiappini scheduled to share key insights in panel discussions.
In true commitment to pan-African talent, further activations include a showcase the highly anticipated collaboration between Merchants on Long and the Ghanaian label Friend Studio which takes place from December 9th to 14th, and will celebrate African craftsmanship through the launch of Friend Studio’s exclusive capsule collection ‘For the Locals’.
The season will culminate with a pre-shopping date for the prestigious L’Ormarins King’s Plate on December 6th, and the launch of the Okapi x Millerner exclusive hat and accessories collection created in association with the fine artist Whitney Halsted.
Through specialist pop-ups, collaborative design processes and activations, Merchants on Long continues it’s commitment to enabling a deeper engagement with Africa’s luxury, hand-crafted, and ethically-founded fashion and design landscape.
Merchants on Long Summer Season
- Sindiso Khumalo October 23 – November 2
- ROOTS: Made in Africa November 4 – 10
- Studio Friend Capsule Collection December 9 – 14
- Okapi x Millerner December 6 – January 4
