03 Mar 2022

Having established himself as sensational jazz artiste and a stylist of note, Shanti Lo stretched his creativity by venturing into fashion industry.  

The Jazz artiste recently dazzled his followers by officially launching his Afrikhai boutique at the main mall.

The boutique located on President Avenue, opposite the Sweden House, is packed with clothing apparel such as traditional dresses, shirts, summer shorts, evening wear, and an assortment of accessories, all designed by Shanti Lo.

Shanti Lo, who has been consistent churning out thrilling jazz tracks that earned him recognition both locally and globally, revealed that Afrikhai’s concept was to address issues of a lack of ready-to-wear clothing for various occasions for both men and women.

During the launch, the artiste with expertise in fashion design gained from the London International School of Fashion in Johannesburg, South Africa, said the idea to design fashion apparels was re-born during the country’s first lock down.

Shanti Lo is not a newbie to fashion design; however, due to other commitments, he did it occasionally, working only on orders. However, when the pandemic struck, he was forced to revisit this other talent and fully focus on it.

“The country’s first lockdown brought with it the suspension of physical gigs due to safety measures, which was a hard blow on me.

But instead of sitting and whining about my challenges, I had to come up with something to keep me going, so I re visited fashion design.”

The multi-award winner also stated that the pandemic served as a reminder to reconsider and develop his other talents aside from music.

The demand and positive feedback on his end products gave him the green light to open a boutique where walk-in customers could choose from a variety of ready-to-wear items.

Despite the fact that the boutique was not an easy project  to complete due to financial constraints because it is a self-funded business, he said his passion for it all kept him sailing.

According to the talented Shanti Lo, the name Afrikhai loosely translates to, ‘end products designed by an African child striving to make the best fashion apparel items with any available cloth.’

He acknowledged that God bestowed all of his talents on him, and as such, he would always seek more wisdom from the creator.

Although the boutique is still in its early stages, Shanti Lo hopes to expand into international markets and become a one-stop shop for people’s fashion needs.

Although his current focus is on the Afrikhai brand, he has no intention to abandon music.

Shanti Lo said that juggling it all was not a difficult task because both activities are arts and involve creativity.

Shanti Lo has been in the music industry since he was nine years old, and he has cultivated his career as a musician well.

Some of his albums include Lorato, Music, and Shanti Lo,, with powerful lyrical content that discuss everyday life challenges. ENDS