In 2024, STOLEN PIECES emerged as one of Bulawayo’s breakout brands, mainly due to their approach to releases.
A brainchild of Rodney Mandebvu, the brand has stuck to quickfire, one-of-one releases instead of collections. The end result is a diverse catalogue which includes the puffer tote bag, the UMQALANJA wide leg pants as well as the widely popular KoiiN and DoLLA bags. Not bad for a three year old brand.
In 2025, STOLEN PIECES is taking it up a notch – combining old and new strategies, taking from the past and looking into the future. This is judging from their first drop of the year – 22 handmade caps that are not necessarily a collection and are inspired by legendary musician Lovemore Majaivana.
”For these caps, we actually didn’t have a name for the collection. What I can tell you is that this drop was heavily inspired by the song Yingwe bani from Lovemore Majaivana,” explained Mandebvu.
For those not in the know, let’s give you a quick history lesson. Lovemore Majaivana is perhaps the most prominent artist to have emerged from Bulawayo.
He started his music career at a young age in pre-independence Zimbabwe, gaining popularity in both Harare and Bulawayo for his work with bands like The Hi-Chords, The Echoes and Jobs Combination. The bands would mostly perform covers of popular songs from artists such as Elvis Presley and Tom Jones.
However, after Zimbabwe gained independence, Majaivana’s sound shifted towards his signature mbanqanga beat and the focus of his music shifted towards social commentary. Songs like Angilamali, Isizungu and Isitmela made Majaivana a household name in the early 80’s.
In 1985, he released Salanini Zinini, now working with the Zulus, a band from Victoria Falls which also included his two brothers. From then, he progressed away from his former Western influences, and his popularity grew across Zimbabwe, especially in Matebeleland. His discography also includes Amandla! And Isono Sami, the album with the song Yingwe bani.
Over two decades after Majaivana left the music industry for the USA, it is endearing to know that his art lives on amongst the youth. Mandebvu broke down his perspective on Lovemore Majaivana inspiring his work;
“We want to celebrate everything Zimbabwean. We should have pride in our history and the art our legends have made. Lovemore Majaivana’s music spoke of the times, the struggles and joys of then. The times haven’t changed for the better, but for the worse. So essentially, we are not experiencing anything new.
“We must look to the past to see how they navigated this, look to their writings, their art, their beliefs. If Majaivana were to come back to Bulawayo today and ask ‘yingwe bani?’ Well, isambane is not the strangest thing you will see in the city. It’s us! It’s impisi! Its coolest kids!”
Whether it was the song or the print, the ingwe is the core idea behind this drop. The caps come in four colourways – black, brown, cream and the actual ingwe print. The caps are embroidered with a simple and striking ‘S’ to give a bold finish to the design. All the caps have the same black brim, adorned with the usual STOLEN PIECES logo.
On the inside sleeve of each cap is a bold caption: “CAUTION: NOT STOLEN! HAND MADE BY A BOY FROM BULAWAYO IN ZIMBABWE.” The statement in itself speaks to what makes STOLEN PIECES – an authentic brand, proudly from Bulawayo, taking inspiration from all over the world.
The brand’s first drop of the year isn’t necessarily a departure from its release strategy, but rather trial and error; a decision which Mandebvu says has paid dividends.
“For this drop, I just wanted to experiment and try something new. I’m glad I got the reaction I wanted, we sold a quarter of the collection on the day of the drop; and that was the shocking to us! Even is we still have a few left, we are grateful for all those to bought the caps,” he described.
Despite being based in Bulawayo, STOLEN PIECES has managed to create a decent market throughout Zimbabwe and beyond. An ambitious Mandebvu, however, believes they’ve just scratched the surface, saying;
“I’m happy that STOLEN PIECES is everywhere, but we still don’t think that’s enough. For this drop, we made less than a hundred pieces, just 22 caps. By international standards, that’s barely anything.
He continued; “I’d say we don’t have numbers yet, so there’s still a large chunk of the market that we want to get to. There’s need for serious brand awareness. We want to create something that can stay relevant, something that Bulawayo and the whole of Zimbabwe can take pride in.”
For someone who boldly proclaimed that he’ll “do fashion till he’s no more,” of course Mandebvu is already looking ahead. In 2025, the 21 year old is eager to do more, taking STOLEN PIECES beyond Bulawayo.
“There’s definitely more work to come, y’all (sic) should be excited. I’m getting giddy thinking about the amount of fashion that we’re gonna be bringing to Bulawayo and taking to Harare. We’re gonna have a lot of fun this year,” beamed Mandebvu.
Mandebvu also revealed the brand’s evergrowing association with Harare creative collective NWOTH, who have been pivotal the brand’s slow but sure infiltration into the capital. Although we’re still far from an SPxNWOTH drop, the day it comes it will surely be worth the wait. Mandebvu broke down the relationship as follows;
“With NWOTH, I wouldn’t say we’re working on a collab at the moment, but in actual fact we are working on something greater. At this point, we’re just building a brotherhood and I’m realizing that we have so many synergies. The knowledge and skill exchange has been life-changing.
“Just having a connection with another creative collective from another city, it’s been great. I know the energy we’re moving with will create something in the future, something that will be great; not just for Bulawayo or Harare but Zimbabwe as a whole.”
STOLEN PIECES’ first drop in AW25 might seem like a departure from the usual, but it’s as close to the mark as a homegrown brand can hit. Dare we say, the Yingwe bani Caps are future grails, for they represent Bulawayo’s past, present and future – Lovemore Majaivana, a creative resurgence, and STOLEN PIECES.
Get your own Ingwe bani Cap before it becomes a collector’s item! You can place your order via Instagram, or directly on WhatsApp. You can also join the STOLEN PIECES WhatsApp group to stay in the loop on all new drops.
