Fashion News South Africa

Dube launching fashion line

Radio personality Phumlani Dube will arm wrestle Durban city manager Dr Michael Sutcliffe to promote his (Dube's) new fashion line called Nix Mapha. The launch will take place at the M2 Hall at the SABC on 100 KE Masinga Road in Durban on Monday, 30 November 2009, starting at 9.30am.

Dr Sutcliffe - dubbed the most powerful man in Durban - has agreed to do battle with Dube - a regular gym-goer and amateur boxer. The two will take each other on in front of journalists and the general public at the launch function.

Sandile Zungu to attend

Some of the planned activities for the day include a Nix Mapha fashion and underwear show as well a live music session and comedy. Special invited guest Dr Sutcliffe will deliver the keynote address, while Dube is expected to announce the dates for his forthcoming Nix Mapha Durban churches tour, which takes place over the month of December. Multimillionaire businessman Sandile Zungu is also slated to attend and will deliver a speech on how business could align itself with the objectives of Nix Mapha.

Nix Mapha apparel includes T-shirts and vests. It also features other products such as camp chairs, glass tumblers etc and is available for purchase at affordable prices and designs for today's urban market. The Nix Mapha underwear range will be unveiled at the launch. Dube has also finalised plans for the Nix Mapha kiddies' range, which will be unveiled in the New Year.

“I'm thrilled to launch Nix Mapha. This is a label for our generation and for me it's a dream fulfilled. However, we want people to understand that Nix Mapha is not just a fashion brand - it's a social movement that puts people before profits. It's a culture and a way of life and, at the end of the day, we want the youth to own it and to live by the Nix Mapha principles,” said Dube.

Social transformation objectives

He went on to say that Nix Mapha is a unique concept that uses fashion as a tool to achieve higher social transformation objectives and to communicate messages of social reconstruction and moral regeneration in a creative way that is not dull and boring. The clothing speaks for itself.

Dube continued: “I may not have all the money in the world, but I have the power to make people listen. I have the power and the influence to bring about change in society and I feel that I have a duty to use that power to in order to save people's lives. Nix Mapha carries the message that, as a young person in South Africa, I am aware that I only live once and that my body is mine and mine alone - it's not for sale and I will not share it with anyone or anything that is destructive or negative. I'm young, but I have the ability to make the right choices.”

As far as the arm wrestling is concerned, Dube said he has no doubt that he will outmuscle Dr Sutcliffe. “I don't like losing. No matter what game I play, and who I play it with, I play to win,” he concluded.

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