CAPE TOWN, South Africa–The South Africa-based 46664 organization has announced a licensing agreement with Cape Town-based Seardel Investment Corp. Ltd. that will see the launch of a 46664 global apparel brand in the second half of 2011 with international distribution likely to start in 2012.
The 46664 organization was established in 2002 as an independent nonprofit. It takes its name from the prison number (prisoner number 466 of 1964) given to Mandela, when he was incarcerated for life on Robben Island, off Cape Town. Mandela gave his prison number to the organization as a permanent reminder of the sacrifices he was prepared to make for a humanitarian and social justice cause he passionately believed in.
The announcement by Mandela’s multifaceted global campaign was made by 46664 board member, Achmat Dangor, at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg. Joining Dangor was Seardel’s CEO, Stuart Queen and Wayne Bebb, CEO of Brand ID. Dangor praised the ethical grounding of the agreement. “Anyone in the world can use 46664 as a framework for doing good within their communities,” he said. The 46664 Apparel is the first global apparel brand to emerge from South Africa, and is designed to stand alongside the world’s most high-profile wardrobe building brands. The men’s and ladieswear inaugural ranges will make their local debut first, with a stand-alone experiential concept store in the African business hub of Johannesburg in August 2011. This will be followed by elements of the line being made available through selected local independent retail outlets.
International distribution is likely to start in 2012 with plans for business partners and a roll-out strategy well under way. In addition, an e-tailer element of a stand-alone website will allow individuals worldwide to purchase items online.
The launch of the 46664 Apparel is a significant step in the pursuit of the sustainability needed to take forward the humanitarian legacy, social justice projects and global awareness and prevention campaign, of its founder, said organization officials.
“The 46664 has evolved to become much more than a global HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention campaign,” commented Dangor. “The work of the organization encompasses Mr. Mandela’s humanitarian legacy as well as confronting and inspiring action to address the broader social injustices in our society. To do this effectively, 46664 needs reliable and sustainable income streams, something we believe the 46664 Apparel can significantly contribute to.”
Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from Target Market News
