Presidential Shirt opens Sandton flagship, ties launch to Nelson Mandela legacy

Presidential Shirt said 50% of proceeds from its Madiba silk-shirt range would go to the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Presidential Shirt, the label behind the original “Madiba Shirt” opened its new flagship emporium at Mandela Square in Sandton City on Tuesday, 28 July, 2026, steps from the iconic Nelson Mandela statue. The event drew VIPs, ambassadors, diplomats and business leaders, including Justice Albie Sachs, Naledi Pandor and John Kani. What it means to dress like a free man According to organisers, proceedings began when award-winning actress and MC Sthandiwe Kgoroge asked Kani what it meant to “dress like a free man”. Kani responded by tracing the politics of clothing from the pre-1994 era through to the suit and tie once seen as a mark of respectability, referencing then Zaire’s leader Mobutu Sese Seko’s rejection of Western dress and former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda’s adoption of the Kaunda suit. He concluded “to dress like a free man” means being free to choose one’s cloth and carry one’s culture. His remarks were followed by 10 models parading Presidential Shirts through the venue to the sound of penny whistlers. Pandor, a former Cabinet minister and chair of the Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF), addressed guests on behalf of the organisation. In a statement, the foundation said the evening reflected on “Presidential Shirt’s long-standing relationship with NMF and shared values of service, courage, resilience and integrity”. From a gifted shirt to a national brand Presidential Shirt traces its roots to 1994, when Cape Town designer Desré Buirski gifted Nelson Mandela a shirt two days before his inauguration. Mandela went on to wear it and subsequent shirts at several defining moments of his presidency, including South Africa’s hosting of the Fifa World Cup in 2010, a state visit to meet Queen Elizabeth II, and the signing of the democratic Constitution in 1996. Rob Sim, CEO of Presidential Group, welcomed guests and outlined the brand’s growth, from that first shirt to the opening of a store at OR Tambo International Airport in 2010. He recounted how, after a factory liquidation at one of its suppliers, Presidential Shirt invested in the facility to preserve jobs, growing the operation to more than 100 employees. The company renewed its relationship with NMF in 2018, around the centenary of Mandela’s birth. Music, food and a foundation partnership Ernie Smith provided ambient music through the evening, while Vusi Mahlasela, who performed at Mandela’s 1994 inauguration, played a full set ahead of the store’s opening. Cilantros Restaurant at Mandela Square catered the canapés, and Graham Beck Brut, known as “The President’s Choice”, supplied the drinks after being served at Mandela’s inauguration. Geoff Mabote, executive director of Presidential Group, delivered closing remarks before being joined by Pandor and Kani to officially open the store. For 32 days from launch, marking 32 years since Freedom Day, Presidential Shirt said 50% of proceeds from its Madiba silk-shirt range would go to NMF.