RADAR: Style Edit

Introduced to Mozambique through Indian Ocean trade routes centuries ago, the capulana is as much a part of daily life in Maputo as the ocean breeze itself. Brightly coloured and boldly patterned, these wax-printed cotton cloths can be worn as skirts, dresses or headwraps, and have long been seen as symbols of national identity. For Mozambican designer Claudio “Chibaia” Lobo, it was only natural to use this heritage textile as the foundation for a streetwear brand.

Lobo launched the Chibaia Clothing Company in 2014 with a simple idea: Mozambican culture deserves to stand tall within the silhouettes of global street fashion. “Streetwear is a form of survival,” Lobo says. “It reflects your environment, adapts to your needs and often rebels against the status quo.”

Handmade in Maputo and cut from capulana-inspired prints, Chibaia’s bomber jacket is the Chibaia Clothing Company’s signature piece. The brand’s hoodies and T-shirts, also made using this vibrant African fabric, channel the spirit of Maputo while speaking to city dwellers everywhere. “The capulana was the most logical material to use,” says Lobo. “It’s traditional but it’s also part of our everyday life.”

With a career background in graphic design, illustration and motion graphics, Lobo approaches fashion as a visual storyteller. Each garment carries a message about Mozambique’s cultural wealth and the role of African identity in global style. Adaptability, he argues, is key: “If a culture doesn’t evolve, it fades away.”

For Lobo, the capulana is more than fabric, it’s a way of stitching Mozambique into the global streetwear story. Every piece beats with the pulse of Maputo, ensuring the city and its culture claim their place firmly on the fashion map.

Takudzwa Nyambi

Avenida da Marginal N4441 – Loja 10, Maputo.
IG: @chibaia_clothing

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