OTZ HOME have long been one of my favourite local fashion brands with their authentic mesh of African Fashion and Street style setting them apart. On the 26th of August, they released the Spring/Summer 2025 UNTOUCHED Collection which in my eyes saw the brand reach new heights and tap into a potential that had been apparent since their inception way back in 2018 and their first collection fittingly named “Potential”. The collection is a deeply personal one inspired by a tough time that OTZ HOME‘s founder Jaro Conradie Phiri went through after experiencing a break and other challenges that resulted in a loss of confidence. This journey of losing and regaining confidence is where the concept of UNTOUCHED originated.

UNTOUCHED embodies the feeling of confidence in one’s life. It represents the inner journey each person goes through to reach a place of confidence, happiness, and love. The UNTOUCHED Collection features part two of the “CHEEKY” denim pants (due to the high demand for the first drop) with a fresh colourway and matching denim jackets. It also sees the introduction of some exciting new products, such as the “TABLE SKORT’, “Gorilla” polo’s, and the “LEE HANDBAGS” which are made from vinyl leather. Last week I sat down for a chat with Jaro to learn more about the inspiration and story behind the collection, and his experience of bringing the UNTOUCHED vision to life.

Saien: Can you tell us a little about your background and how you got into fashion?

Jaro: My name is Jaro Conradie Phiri, I was adopted at the age of 5 / 6 years old in Johannesburg. My family and I moved to the Free State, then Grahamstown, and finally Cape Town. Fashion wasn’t in my vision but you know how moms pick outfits for their little kids, mum says I never wore the clothes she picked for me, I’d always want to choose my own. For me, I consciously got into fashion in 2014/15 via social media watching Rocky and Ian Connor. They had all the ladies and in grade 9 as a teen, all you want is the girls. I started sewing because I knew there was nothing more unique than an outfit no one had seen before nor could find anywhere

S: When did you first realize that OTZ Home wasn’t just a short-term project and was going to be something big?

J: The garments I was putting together were just for me but I had friends and friends of friends and random people telling me, “That’s a really dope jacket, or “I really dig those pants”. This showed me that people liked what I was putting together and that there was potential. I then had a project for school where I organised a fashion show and the feedback I received on the evening and months later was insane, I knew that evening this was the dream and goal.

S: What does UNTOUCHED mean to you?

J: It’s the feeling of pure confidence, UNTOUCHED is overcoming anything. For me, I went through a loss of self-esteem/ confidence. I had to dig deep within myself to figure out why and how to overcome the feeling and become untouched.

S: What were your biggest design influences and inspirations when coming up with the collection?

J: My biggest design influences are BAPE, KIDSUPER, and Walter van Beirindonck but it’s more about the designers and their journeys in life. I’m also really influenced by music, and whenever I’m designing I listen to music. But for this collection, I really tapped into what I’d been through in life and what I was noticing in life.

S: From the Gorilla Confidence denim jackets to the Brighter Day tees to the Flight denim pants the collection is packed with beautiful designs, which piece has the most personal significance to you and why?

J: My faves are the G-RILLA MANIA Denim jacket, which I even copped haha but the detail that went into that piece is insane. This piece signifies the UNTOUCHED feeling. Vinyl gorilla logos along the arms and shoulders represent the growth the wearer has gone through as if building their muscle. The Table Mountain & Cape Town on the back of the jacket signify and give the garment a location. I put Table Mountain on a lot of my pieces as I want to honour the city that influenced me to become a designer.

S: Can you walk us through your creative process for coming up with the UNTOUCHED collection?

J: My creative process once I knew what I wanted the clothes to represent (confidence), choosing the name UNTOUCHED came naturally as I had made an untouched jacket earlier that year. I then started designing the t-shirts and polos which were the most difficult for me as this was completely new to me, printing and all. I even asked a designer friend how to design a shirt hahaha. I would design about 6 to 8 designs for each garment in the collection and then with the help of the team and friends pick which was the best and represented UNTOUCHED. Those picks are all available as products now.

S: The message of the UNTOUCHED COLLECTION is about overcoming challenges to become the best, most confident version of yourself. What advice would you give to someone going through a tough period of turmoil in their life to come out the other side as a stronger and more confident individual?

J: It takes time to heal and overcome something, don’t be impatient but rather recognize your emotions and figure out why you are feeling like this. As long as you challenge yourself to understand yourself and grow as a human you will overcome any challenges because it’s all in the mind.

S: What have been some of the challenges you have encountered in bringing the collection to life?

J: Every bit of it, haha, I learned this a while ago but the plan never goes as expected. So this has been nearly a 2-year process from concept to release date. This took so long because we upgraded the brand as well as finding a CMT and a team to help grow the challenging brand. But we are on the other side now. Another thing was just making sure everyone involved was on the right page and delivered which they all did! There were a lot of people involved in bringing this to life from script writers, directors, stylists, and videographers. Which I’m so grateful for but managing everyone involved was not easy.

S: What advice would you give to young fashion designers trying to break through in Cape Town?

J: Firstly you will go broke 100 times, haha but I would say start by creating everything by hand (sewing) and develop that skill to find your touch and develop your signature style. Then work on your mental game, know that fashion is one of the hardest industries as there’s no formal entry point. And most importantly consistency, take a day or 2 off but don’t go ghost as they will forget about you. Consistency will show investors and the industry your seriousness and opportunities will start opening up. Lastly, love what you do because if you don’t then what’s the point?

S: Thanks for chatting with us Jaro, as a last question, without giving too much away what can we expect next from OTZ Home?

J: So what normally stops a lot of people besides the mental, “I can’t do this”  is financing to chase their dreams. We are very lucky to not have this problem anymore so there are no barriers for us. We have a few pop-up events installed but we are focusing on catering to our #otzfamily, our loyal supporters who have purchased from us or have shown immense support to our brand. We are developing our 1 of 1 portal on our site which is for our #otzfamily. Here they can order their custom 1 of 1 pieces made by me or shop the 1 of 1 range, which can’t be purchased by general shoppers. Also more garments and new products, I’ve been working on.