Local fashion brand Rubicon has unveiled Conceiving in the Mind, a new initiative in partnership with non-profit organisation Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA), aimed at tackling child abuse and encouraging intentional parenting in South Africa.
The collaboration merges fashion, advocacy and social responsibility, with Rubicon’s upcoming Spring/Summer 2025 capsule collection, In Bloom, serving as a platform to spotlight the campaign. Beyond style, it is explained that the initiative seeks to fuse creative expression with meaningful social impact, using fashion as a tool to elevate public conversations about child protection.
The brand described the initiative as “a call to slow down, to think deliberately, and to act with intention, so that fewer children are born into harm and more are born into environments where they are chosen, protected, and given the chance to thrive.”
The message underscores the importance of intentional parenting and highlights the role of society in supporting families to create safer, nurturing spaces for children.
“With this new collection, we hope to celebrate the blooming spirit of summer, a time of strength, light, and renewal,” said Hangwani Nengovhela, Rubicon’s creative director and founder.
“By working with WMACA, we are reviving hope for the most vulnerable while also showcasing the beauty of rebirth in design with this collection.”
The collection, which will launch in the first quarter of 2026, features vibrant citrine yellow tones, symbolising power, vigour and hope. It is explained that these colours are intended to reflect the optimism of summer while reinforcing the campaign’s advocacy message.
Building on the brand’s previous Ethereal Continuum showcase, the new collection will be photographed at the Graham Contemporary Art Gallery in Johannesburg, combining fashion with a creative space renowned for artistic expression.
The brand said the partnership aims to elevate intentional parenting as an act of care, love, and social responsibility. By pairing the brand’s cultural influence and consumer reach with WMACA’s expertise in child protection and criminal justice advocacy, the collaboration seeks to bridge public engagement with the realities faced by children and families across the country.
“Through this collaboration, Rubicon and WMACA aim to shift social norms around conception and child welfare, using fashion as a platform to raise awareness and advocate for children to be born into safe, supportive and intentional environments. The initiative is positioned as a long-term, values-driven intervention rather than a once-off campaign,” the brand revealed on social media.
The campaign further underscores the belief that every child deserves to be “wanted, planned for, and held in mind before they are ever held in arms,” emphasising that intentional parenting and community responsibility are fundamental to child welfare.
Through the initiative, Rubicon and WMACA aim to create a sustained impact, fostering societal reflection, awareness, and action around issues that often remain under-addressed in South Africa.
anita.nkonki@inl.co.za
Saturday Star