MAKING A SPLASH
Mami Wata is making waves as a sustainable, locally produced surf and lifestyle brand with a truly African aesthetic. Two of its co-founders, Nick Dutton and Andy Davis, give us an inside look at their surf-inspired world
When did your love of surfing and surf culture begin?
Andy Davis (chief surf officer, co-founder, publisher of ZigZag surf magazine)
“In 1988, when I first caught a wave on my uncle Larry’s single-fin Safari surfboard at Muizenberg corner. Been hooked ever since.” Nick Dutton (CEO, co-founder) “Body boarding in a pair of Gotcha surf shorts when I was 12 in Salt Rock. Also the stickers! I had some Instinct, Gotcha and Hang Ten stickers that felt like gold dust.”
Tell us how you, Andy, Sal and Peet came together. Are you all big surfers?
Nick: Andy and I are old friends. Three years ago, while I was living in London and back here on holiday, we had a conversation on Kommetjie beach which led to the question, “Where’s the African surf brand?”
Everyone on the beach was wearing American and Australian brands that all looked exactly the same. It felt like there was an opportunity to do something different and tell a different story — the African surf story.
We needed a designer and Andy had worked with Peet Pienaar (creative director and co-founder) on a magazine called Mahala, so he e-mailed Peet, who was living in Bogata, and asked if he wanted to join us in creating a global African surf brand.
“Yes!” was the answer, and we launched in 2017. As we developed our ideas, Andy said it would be great to get Sal Masekela on board. The combination of Sal’s connection
to the global and LA surf industry, via his work on ESPN and the X-Games, and obviously being Hugh Masekela’s son, with his connection to SA, and Sal being socially engaged with progressive causes both in and out of surf, aligned with our mission to be a creative force for good in Africa.
Via the grapevine we heard Sal thought the brand was cool, so we connected and started a conversation that led to him joining the team as a co-founder.
Describe the brand in three words Nick: Africa. Surf. Nature.
What’s the story behind the name?
Andy: “Mami Wata” is West African pidgin English, literally meaning “Mama Water” — or “Mother Ocean”, if you prefer. From Madagascar to Morocco, Liberia to Mozambique, Mami Wata is the African water spirit who appears in the shape of a mermaid. It is said that those she takes as lovers return with a new spirit and become more successful and good-looking. It’s a story of the transformative effect of Africa, the sea and nature, which is our brand story.
“The Power of African Surf” is your motto. Can you explain this?
Andy: Surfing in Africa is a different experience to surfing anywhere else in the world. It’s so much more than just fashion and performance. It puts you in wild, natural places and helps you appreciate and protect them. It forces you to overcome adversity; getting to a lot of spots is the adventure. And, ultimately, it heals, excites and inspires.
It also makes you strong and connected.
In the next 20 years surfing is going to have a major, positive impact on the lives of African youth. And they are going to define what it means to be a surfer in a new and exciting way.
We want to be a part of this story and we want to connect people to the power of African surf wherever they are with our “Made in Africa with Power” apparel.
Tell us about your new collection?
Nick: We’ve just launched the new men’s collection in Paris. We’ve got a women’s range too that we are still developing. It continues a few themes that people seem to really like, with more surfing animals, new patterns and more bananas. We’ve also introduced a simple basics range that
focuses on simple block colours with a small -embroidered banana. The colours have stories, for example, our dark navy shorts are called “Midnight in Accra”.
Mami Wata supports surfing in Africa. How?
Andy: We work with organisations like Waves for Change, who have pioneered the idea of surfing as therapy — and in so doing are introducing large numbers of kids from disadvantaged backgrounds to surfing and changing lives at the same time. We just ran a Kickstarter programme to fund a new club house for Waves for Change in Harper, Liberia. And we also made the kit for their coaches.
What is it about Mami Wata that has made it so successful so quickly?
Nick: Peet’s designs are great and the product quality is very good. Globally, people are excited about Africa, its design and culture. The African surf story is exciting. It’s also very different to most of the brands in the surf market.
What’s next for Mami Wata?
Nick: We’re doing pop-ups in France, Switzerland and Los Angeles for their summer season. We’re hosting “African surf” film nights. We’ve just come back from Paris, where we’ve had orders from some leading stores in the US, Japan, Italy, France and the UK. We’re also working on a project with a leading environmental group focusing on ocean sustainability and protecting Africa’s coral reefs.