A classic pair of jeans never goes out of style. The right pair can stay in your wardrobe for years—decades, even. “The most beautiful thing about jeans is that everybody wears jeans,” says designer Tshepo Mohlala, who goes by “the Jean Maker.” “Denim has no race: it’s a fabric that can unify the world.” However, while jeans have become a universal staple, the garment is still very much tied to Americana: U.S.-born brands, such as Levi’s, have been making them since the mid-1800s. Recognizing a dearth of South African–bred denim brands, Mohlala launched his own jean line, TSHEPO, in Johannesburg as a way to take the jean and recontextualize it within the African landscape. Since its inception in 2015, it has become one of the city’s most well-known brands.

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