The most ubiquitous item of clothing for summer is the t-shirt, and as this sunniest of season is just around the corner we figure now's the perfect time to showcase some African designers who've built their labels on this fashion staple. Besides, we don't want you dropping your cash on something too dull for words. So here goes:
BONK
Four years ago, a group of designers decided to provide Kenyans with well-designed local alternatives to the imported tees they saw on offer. Now they have a steady system in place, working with local manufacturers to produce high quality fabric tees based on their prototype designs.
“We’ve really had a lot of fun with our designs, with collections that are culturally relevant, including old retro Kenyan prints, beautiful hand-drawn illustrations, and honouring Africa’s heroes with uniquely designed interpretations of their characters and what they stood for.”
Bonk also do a nifty line in canvas and leather bags and plan to produce more high-end accessories. 
Visit http://www.bonk.co.ke/home/
KAYOBI CLOTHING
Kayobi is inspired by the Japanese word for “Tuesday”, after the designer’s name, Kwabena Oppong Boateng ("Kwabena" is the name given to the child born on a Tuesday in the Akon tribe of Ghana.) Also, Kayobi sound like the designer’s initials, and Boateng enjoys Japanese art and design.
The company has blossomed into a platform for positive reinforcement and imagery of the African story. Says Kwabena, “Contrary to the imposed label of the dark continent [that has been] stamped on Africa, the continent is actually bursting with life, beauty, and most importantly hope.” Formerly, solely a t-shirt company - whose “Make Fufu, Not War” tees are their most popular item - Kayobi has now branched out into designing bags and iPod cases. 
Visit http://www.kayobiclothing.com/#
DRC ApeParel
DRCApeParel stands for Divine Righteous Children, and their strapline pretty much sums them up: “It’s Cool to be Conscious!”.
Founders, Eric B. Ndelo and Roderick B. Vakala are Congolese Americans who have collaborated with Tony Mercer, an international street culture enthusiast. As a unit their thing is the urban aesthetics of street culture on a foundation of Pan African principles:
“We strive to inspire pride, increase cross-cultural awareness, and disintegrate ethnic boundaries through our clothing commentary and unique perspective on style,” say DRC, who continue to be mindful of the advancements in global urban culture in order to keep their clothing fresh and relevant. 
Visit http://www.drc144k.com/
ONE NIGERIAN BOY
One Nigerian Boy was launched by the increasingly popular fashion blogger Terence Sambo. He started blogging simply to pass time but was soon collaborating with Nigerian menswear label, Homegrown.
Next he created 50 limited edition tees that came in black, white, blue and brown with “One Nigerian Boy” written in vibrant summery colours”; the line named after his blog:
“I chose the name One Nigerian Boy as it best reflected the state of things and intent of the blog. It was going to be just one Nigerian boy with a deep love for fashion and the arts sharing things he admires and fancies with the world.”
Terrence plans to expand this line by adding polos, blazers and shoes in collaboration with three new Nigerian labels, while also building his own label and drawing the attention of his 120,000 blog visitors to other talented African designers.
Visit http://www.onenigerianboy.com/
2BOP CLOTHING
The beauty of 2bop clothing is their connection to South African history via an activity that everyone remembers from childhood: gaming. 2bop offers a collection of t-shirts, sweatshirts and snap back caps with visuals inspired by games that were popular in South African corner stores.
Owner Anthony Smith says, “Disadvantaged areas during apartheid South Africa had little to offer in terms of exposure to cutting edge international design or computer technology, but the bootleg arcade games that used twenty cent pieces (a 2Bop) to play at the corner shop were a window into what was happening in the outside world”.
Naturally, this means that 2bop has also drawn influences from Japan and North America, due to the origin of many of these games. They continue to build on this idea of corner store culture, games and playfulness, and are reaching a worldwide audience via their online store. 
Visit http://www.twobop.co.za/blog/
JAMHURI WEAR
No, we haven't lost the ability to count, but we can't really end this without including the pioneer of Africa-positive t-shirts and Africa’s premiere street wear line, Jamhuri Wear.
Kenyan founder and designer Jeffrey Kimathi started the brand as a t-shirt line in 2003 to fill the void in the way Africa was represented in fashion.
His designs were soon noticed and being worn by musicians, first Akon (before he got really famous), then Jay Z, Damian Marley, K'naan, Ludacris and Tom Morello of Audio Slave, Wawesh, etc., taking the brand global. Features about the brand appeared in Vibe, XXL, Complex magazine, Blow and Stuff magazine among others, and the phrase "Africa's Premier Sports Wear Brand" that now appears in the first line on the site's holding page suggests we're about to enter the next phase.
Watch Jeffrey being interviewed on the Patricia Show.
Visit http://jamhuriwear.com/
A version of this article first appeared on AfriPOP! Mag
