Jason Storey has to be one of the most insightful entrepreneurs in the fashion industry; he has taken African ethnic art and has created his clothing based on African history. When we flew down to Cape Town we expected a usual interview based on his brand and how it has transcended over the years but we were intrigued by his intellect and passion for art and history.
Unknown Union represents African-ism in the modern world and it took American born, corporate lawyer Jason Storey to make us realise that our history is where the real origins of art come from and this whole time we have had local designers take massive pride in being influenced by European culture but the real gold is right in front of us. Jason encourages authenticity and pride in what is in your community because your origins and experiences are who you really are.
We have begun to see big brands like Louis Vuitton making clothes that represent the Sotho culture and with no doubt the clothing looks amazing but this emphasizes the point Jason brings up. Unknown Union started as a store that provided exclusive brands then slowly went into local design and the vision has grown bigger since then. Their mixture of art and pop culture makes them stand out compared to any other brand in the country. Picasso and other artists studied African art and they became the great artists they are, and maybe designers could look at this and be inspired.
For Unknown Union the design process starts in the literature, they take time to understand origin and they design everything based on history. Jason has taken pride in making us proud of being who we are. He explains the patterns on Sotho clothing and what they represent and then origins of war. Unknown Union encourages you being you.
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