Butan brand ventures into sustainable footwear
Julian Kubel – co-founder of LSJ Clothing & Merchandising – isn’t just another name in fashion. Following his heart, the South African entrepreneur made a bold decision a few years ago to trade in his engineering aspirations for his love for fashion, launching his own clothing label in the vibrant world of streetwear culture: Butan.
“I completed my degree in Mechanical Engineering, yet creatively I felt uninspired by the field,” he says. “Instead, I found myself gravitating towards streetwear and street culture as a whole. This passion fuelled my desire to start my own clothing line, incorporating my love for African cultural heritage, which has since become a core part of our business identity.”
Butan celebrates African cultural heritage by crafting quality fashion products that embody African anecdotes, blended with bold graphics and reimagined traditional patterns. The brand has already secured five Hip-Hop awards and key collaborations with Kaizer Chiefs Football Club, Inkabi Zezwe (Sjava & Big Zulu), and visual artist Samurai Farai.
With Butan evolving into a successful and award-winning brand, it isn’t stopping at apparel. Kubel and his team have now set their sights on a new frontier by developing an on-trend and sustainable footwear collection with recycled materials incorporated into the designs. This includes using locally sourced fabric, recycled plastic bottles, and rubber from discarded car tyres to make brand-new slides, sandals, and sneakers with Afrocentric contemporary designs, manufactured in South Africa.
It’s this innovative and sustainable thinking that earned Kubel a spot in the Création Africa cultural entrepreneurship programme. Last May, LSJ Clothing and Merchandising was announced as one of the top 12 finalists selected for incubation, immersion, and seed funding.
Kubel recognises the value of the Création Africa programme in shaping his business acumen to thrive in this competitive and fast-changing field. The programme connects entrepreneurs from Southern Africa with industry experts and mentors who share strategies for expanding professional networks and fostering business growth.
“Création Africa is offering a great overview of the various aspects of running a successful enterprise,” he says. “The mentors are equipping us with practical tools and hacks that stem from their own experiences. The interactive nature of the workshops offers another layer of peer learning and co-mentorship that further enriches our experience of the programme.”
Find out more:
LSJ Clothing and Merchandising
https://butan.co.za/
Création Africa is a groundbreaking initiative by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, coordinated by the Embassy of France and the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), in partnership with UVU Africa and Bpifrance. It aims to boost and support entrepreneurship in the cultural and creative industries in South Africa, Lesotho, and Malawi.
