story

"I grew up in Kalk Bay, Cape Town, which is probably the furthest thing away from street culture. I got into street culture through graffiti, and seeing graffiti pop up in my neighborhood and on my way to school. On the..."

"...train. Shelflife started in 2006 as a graffiti supply store. Strictly graffiti products and a couple of T-shirts. And slowly we worked with the community, with artists, with local collectors, and we slowly started to evolve from there. It took us ten years after that..."

"...to open Johannesburg. We have always had the support. We have always had people asking us, "Come to Johannesburg, come to Johannesburg." The team plays an incredible role. Without this, we could never have done it. Shelflife store has always innovated. We have always pushed boundaries as a team together. We have always looked at what..."

"...could be the next step for us, from moving from the Cape Town store into Johannesburg. Working closely with communities in both, being a mouthpiece for South Africa in terms of sneaker and streetwear culture. We are bridging the gap between an international market and a local market. Getting a product that's..."

"...international and changing it to be a typically South African, unique style that you would not see anywhere else in the world. Our relationship with Jordan has always been very strong, and we have built this relationship over many years. We have marketed and we have told incredible stories. And when we got the..."

"...phone call from Jordan Brand to give us the official handshake of a collaboration, and finally the spotlight on South Africa, on a community that has never had a nod like that from Jordan Brand, it was an incredible moment. We would not have been able to achieve even half of what we have without the team and the surrounding team."

"And that is a community that has consistently supported us, come rain, sun, any weather condition, hanging outside our stores, waiting for releases, and supporting us for the past sixteen years. In the last year specifically, we have really, really focused on the team, helping our team members and people..."

"...grow within our company, educating our team first and then from there, educating the general public about what it means to live the lifestyle that we sell, the product that we sell, and to continue to grow together. If we can inspire within South Africa, within Africa, and into the rest of the worldl..."

"that for me is one of the best feelings. It is really important for us to build as a community together."

Talking Shop

Jordan x Shelflife