50 years ago, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) arrived in South Africa and quickly became Mzansi’s favourite chicken. To commemorate this milestone, KFC South Africa has collaborated with local creatives on limited-edition branded products.
One of the designers who worked on this project is local illustrator Russell Abrahams (known as Yay Abe). He designed a collection of limited-edition Birthday Buckets. Inspired by KFC’s heritage and the culture of Mzansi, Yay Abe added his bold, bright and playful illustration style to the iconic KFC buckets to create a range of colourful collectable buckets.
There are three collectable Birthday Buckets in the KFC x Yay Abe range. The Heritage Bucket (9 piece) is dedicated to the people of KFC: from the founder Colonel Saunders to the KFC employees and fans of the brand. The ‘Goodness Bucket’ (15 piece) depicts everything fans love about KFC, from “finger-lickin’ good” meals and the secret recipe to the 11-year-old Add Hope Programme that has delivered food supplies to 141 beneficiaries nationwide, with over 150,000 children reached.
The ‘Sharing Bucket’ (21 piece) embodies the special cultural norm of family and friends gathering around a table to enjoy a great meal and good company together.“My intention was to celebrate and illustrate the combined heritage and growth of both KFC and South Africa over the past 50 years while also bringing to life that good feeling of people coming together to share good times and great meals. When people share a meal around these buckets in December, I want them to feel what I felt when I was creating them: hope, joy and pride in South Africa,” said Abrahams.
KFC also went 50/50 with local fashion brand Thesis Lifestyle to create a limited-edition collection of KFC-inspired streetwear. The founder of the Soweto-based brand, Wandile Zondo and his partner Galebowe Mahlatsi create streetwear that they hope will inspire the next generation to define themselves.
“Bringing together the original style of streetwear in Soweto, with the original flavour and flare of KFC, we want this range to tell a story that salutes the South African people of KFC, from their thousands of employees to their millions of fans. Thesis is more than just a brand, it’s a lifestyle, and the same is true about KFC; it is a part of our culture,” said Zondo.
The Thesis x KFC Collection includes an exclusive run of bespoke t-shirts, vests, tote bags and bucket hats. These were designed to reflect what they believe KFC founder, Colonel Sanders, would be proud to see and experience if he were to visit the streets of Mzansi today. The Thesis x KFC collection is now on sale at the Thesis store and online shop, with only 100 of each item available. Fifty per cent of all sales will be going towards the Add Hope programme.
