This new BlackBird Books look is a result of a collaboration with Sindiso Khumalo, a textile designer based in London and Cape Town, who graciously designed the visuals for the series. Sindiso studied architecture at the University of Cape Town prior to moving to London, where she went on to study a Masters in Textiles at Central Saint Martins. Sindiso Khumalo founded her eponymous label with a focus on creating modern sustainable textiles with a strong emphasis on African storytelling. She designs the textiles in her collections by hand, using watercolours and collage. Over the years she has developed a uniquely colourful visual voice, which draws upon her Zulu and Ndebele heritage, and also speaks to the land of KwaZulu-Natal, where she is from. Sustainability, artistry and empowerment lie at the heart of the label.
In October 2015, Sindiso won Vogue Italia’s “Who Is on Next?” Competition in Dubai. Sindiso feels very passionate about fashion and empowerment. She has spoken at the United Nations on sustainability in fashion and is currently working closely with the UN ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative. She has presented her work at Milan Fashion Week with the mentorship of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana. Her work has been exhibited at the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark and the Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town. Her work has been published in Vogue Italia, Vogue UK, ELLE South Africa and Marie Claire South Africa as well as in the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art’s “Africa: Architecture, Culture and Identity” collection. Her previous clients include IKEA, Woolworths South Africa and Vodacom.