In South Africa, our clan names are more than names. They carry our history, our ancestry and our sense of belonging. In 2023 South African Sign Language became our 12th official language. Yet for the Deaf community, an important part of that cultural expression had never been accessible.

Of the 61m people in South Africa, 4 million are Deaf or hard-of-hearing.

As a brand committed to honouring and celebrating African heritage and tradition, and connecting culture with the contemporary values, we created the world's first clan signs (seven) in conjunction with sign language experts, ratified by the Pan South African Language Board (PANSALB), and we brought this to life through the documenting of a real wedding - from Lobola through to sign language nuptials.

Every aspect of signs and tactile integration were considered for the development of the traditional marriage stationery. Bespoke calabashes, reed mats, and blankets formed part of communicating Mr and Mrs Zulu's clan; a launch film to communicate our campaign.

We completed the campaign by launching a microsite for our audience to learn the first seven signs at signyourclan.co.za. Because we now understand the process for developing a new form of sign language, we will leverage the data from clan submissions to build the next phase of clan signs. This campaign will continue to grow and evolve, organically.

Deaf South Africa can finally be seen and heard...