By Saul Molobi
Masingita Masunga and her team have just launched the abOVEnormal Sports and Fitness gear, the first fully black-owned initiative in South Africa. The brand isn’t just disrupting the local fashion and sports industries as merely black-owned, but it also a conscientious initiative whose core principle is advocacy for transformation in every facet of existence – from personal to societal; local to national; national to continental; and, continental to global. It is a fashion commentary on everything that seeks to better humanity and rid it of all societal ills. The brand stands for inclusion, social cohesion and abhor gender-based violence and all forms of discrimination. The launch has been timeous as it indeed closes the gap left open by the obscurity of the once iconic United Colors of Benetton.
the abOVEnormal initiative – under the custodianship of human rights activist and television personality, Masingita Masunga – is a multidisciplinary initiative premised on the concept of “mens sana in corpore sano” – which means “sound mind in a sound body”. It incorporates inculcation of above normal self confidence, strategic focus, high performance and physical agility premised on health awareness; fitness and sportswear. The sportswear label is intended to disrupt the market as it is the first black-owned sports brand in the country.
“It is a holistic – body, mind and soul – fitness brand which inspires all to strive to achieve optimum fitness through a lifestyle of non-conformity, non-confinement, resilience and resistance to situations, circumstances and attitudes that are limiting,” asserted the uncompromising go-getting Masingita who is known to break all barriers (having summited Mount Kilimanjaro and led a three woman team in driving from Cape town to Cairo, amplifying the message of continental integration. It is formulated in multiple products, programs and platforms.”
Indeed this is a critical message particularly for this brand as this noble initiative, through the operationalisation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), will see the continent integrated into the world’s largest free trade area of 55 countries, with a market of over 1,27 billion consumers and a combined GDP of over $3,6 trillion. The AfCFTA will abolish over 90% of trade tariffs among African countries in a pursuit of a strategic goal of increasing intra-African trade which is currently sitting at a paltry 18%.
The abOVEnormal‘s objectives include:
• To promote unity in diversity
• To contribute to the healing of the nation
• To encourage collaboration and working together for the well-being of the nation.
Previously, this news portal, Jambo Africa Online, carried various articles outlining all the initiatives under this empowering advocacy programme, abOVEnormal. The partnerships they have already forged included with such strategic stakeholders as the Presidency of the Republic of South Africa, COSATU and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in hosting highly successful events on issues that needed multi-stakeholder attention – particularly government, the private sector and civil society institutions.
The collaboration with COSATU and the ILO’s aims and objectives included fighting for worker rights by securing social and economic justice for all workers; and striving for a just standard of Living, Social Security and fair conditions of work for all. “This marks an important milestone to take stock of the progress made thus far, identify the challenges still prevalent, and chart the path forward in redressing all of them” said COSATU’s President, Zingiswa Losi, who was quoted as saying previously.
Watch the video below to see the price list:
*****
For more information on sales and collaborations, please contact abOVEnormal’s CEO: Bongani Coka at +27 67 036 7502; Marketing Executive, Nxalati Hlongwane, at +27 72 516 2675; or email admin@abovenormal.co.za