What would an African safari be without the souvenirs? Cherished memories and terrabytes of photographic images and video footage are ‘par for the course’ but tourists also want gifts to take home to their family and friends. With weight and volume being a concern, original branded clothing is certainly a high demand item, writes Des Langkilde.
When it comes to originality, A Heritage of African Clothing’s range captures the image of Africa with flair. Founded in 2004 by Nicholas Hughes, whose background includes working as a nature conservationist and screen printer, A Heritage of African Clothing has become synonymous with quality screen printing and durable products. In the same year, Nicholas got together with renowned wildlife artist Stefan Rousouw of Original Art and together they designed a range of wildlife products from T-shirts and vests to bags, aprons and place mats – all imbued with Stefan’s life-like pencil sketches.
T-shirts come in a wide range of colours and sizes, and the garments are made from high quality 185g cotton. Sizes range from S – XXXL in Adults (Larger sizes can be made up to order) and child sizes from 2-3yrs to 13-14yrs. The colour range is as varied as the rainbow nation itself, from the earthy colours of stone, olive and naturals to vibrant pinks, lime greens and bright oranges, with many shades in between.
The prints are iron friendly, meaning that they don’t need to be ironed inside out. The fabrics do stand the test of time and all of the designs that one sees in their website catalogue of illustrations can be printed on to any of the product ranges.
Stefan’s designs are too plentiful to mention, from the very first drawing of a lion head to the comical “Ugliest 5”.
My personal favourite is the ‘Family Tree’ – a combination of the Big and Baby 5. There’s also a number of ethnical designs, including the Zulu King and Ndebele woman. According to Nicholas, their most popular design is ‘Africa’s Big 5’ incorporated into the map of Africa.
A Heritage of African Clothing have an impressive client list that includes Tau Game Lodge, Lion Park, Rhino and Lion Park, Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, Lory Park Zoo, Cango Wildlife Ranch, Forever Resorts, Addo Elephant Back Safaris & Lodges and Mabalingwe.
But it’s not all take and no give – the company has a social responsibility programme that includes a number of wildlife NGO’s, such as the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa, as well as adoption programmes that include the De Wildt Cheetah Farm, the Roodekrans Black Eagle Project and Operation Morning Star. Rhino anti-poaching campaigns are catered for with a specific range of clothing designs.
A Heritage of African Clothing’s production manager, Dereck Leite ensures that orders are printed and delivered on time, while their marketing manager, Samantha Jack is always on hand to respond to enquiries.
For more information visit: www.wildlifeclothing.net or call +27 (0)11 975 1153.
