Wear your heart on your sleeve with Thebe Magugu’s Heirloom Project, which allows customers to wear their heart on their sleeves by uploading an image of a loved one – whether it's a family member, a friend, or even a beloved pet – and Thebe Magugu will preserve that image into unique garments all through a portal on their website. The project launched last year with participants like Lupita Nyong’o, Michelle Obama and Chioma Nnadi.
Photographs capture moments, but can sometimes feel distant. The brand shares that the Heirloom Project aims to bring those cherished memories to life in a way that you can wear and carry with you every day. The 2024 edition includes a customisable pyjama-collar shirt, an elasticated waist pair of straight-leg trousers, and a strappy tote-bag, in four colours including Kiwi Green, Vanilla White, Blue Berry Navy and a special Strawberry Red. In collaboration with an organisation fighting against AIDS and the injustices that enable pandemics to thrive, (RED), the proceeds from the red edition of Heirloom will go towards the organisation.
“Heirloom is a very special project for me, because it gets to immortalise through cloth not only my own memories, but the memories of others as well. Creating an archivable ‘log’ of one’s life. It is extra special that this project also gets to contribute to (RED)’s critical mission of fighting AIDS through the power of fashion. I have seen the effects of HIV/AIDS up close, having lost family members to it, and watching others manage the condition, I am personally invested in this cause. Being in South Africa, we have one of the highest rates in the world”, shared Thebe.
The film and imagery were directed and shot by Dune Tilley, a 25-year-old multi-disciplinary artist who works on experience architecture and speculative research at Thebe Magugu and who powerfully captured memory in a way that gives it permanence. All the assets were shot using a combination of analogue photography process and AI technology, as memory is a combination of fact versus fiction and experience versus embellishment.
“Preserving memory is more than just holding onto the past. It's about honouring the people and moments that have shaped us, and carrying their legacy into the future. Every stitch in the Heirloom Project is a tribute to those stories, making each piece not just a fashion statement but a personal narrative. We believe that fashion should tell a story, and with the Heirloom Project, that story is yours”, Thebe shared about the project.
