In an innovative fusion of fashion and road safety, Volvo Car South Africa and renowned fashion designer Neo Mofammere have partnered to create a statement fashion piece for the seatbelt, designed to raise awareness of the importance of buckling up.
“In South Africa, wearing a seatbelt can dent your street credentials,” said Mofammere, founder of the Neo Serati brand. “If you consider that the seatbelt has saved over a million lives since Volvo invented it, it’s a bit of an unfair image. My design challenge was to try to make something considered uncool, cool.”
Serati drew inspiration from the vibrant streets of South Africa. “Taxi drivers are culture drivers, too,” he explained, pointing out how the iconic Omega footwear – beloved by South Africans – caught his attention. The designer saw an opportunity to combine the shoe’s distinctive pattern with the practicality of seatbelts, creating a fashionable piece that encourages safety and makes wearing a seatbelt cool.
In 2023, there were 10,180 fatalities on South African roads, underscoring the importance of wearing a seatbelt when travelling in a car. A recent Volvo Car SA study discovered that the youth (18-24 year-olds) are least likely to wear a seatbelt, with 52% saying they “sometimes or never wear a seatbelt.” The “cool” factor plays a significant role in seatbelt usage; 14% of all occupants deem wearing a seatbelt “uncool” when driving close to home.
“Volvo is committed to driving positive change on South African roads,” said Felipe Yagi, Head of Marketing & Communications at Volvo Car South Africa. “Collaborating with Nao will hopefully inspire more South Africans – particularly younger drivers – to make the right choice and buckle up when they hit the road,” added Yagi.
Volvo first showcased the fashion piece at Summer Place in Hyde Park, where guests at an exclusive fashion soirée were given the stylish cover. At the event, the Swedish automaker enlisted the creativity of classical ballet professional Bhungane Mehlomakulu to bring home the message on social media. Mehlomakulu, a trailblazer of the Amaballet dance discipline, choreographed the #AmaVolvoJive. This dance challenge combines classical ballet, Amapiano music, and the Swedish marque’s core values of buckling up into one playful sequence.
“The seatbelt is timeless, much like enduring music genres that transcend generations,” concluded Yagi. “By incorporating modern cultural elements, such as the globally influential amapiano music, we’re adding a fresh, contemporary twist to the seatbelt narrative. We aim to inspire South Africans to view the seatbelt not just as a safety essential but as a stylish and indispensable part of everyday life.”
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Author: Michelle Muir from Have Your Say on behalf of Volvo Car South Africa.
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