Kalunga · Night Skies Hoodie No. 05

Same night, another hour. The deep indigo sky covers the whole garment, body, sleeves and hood, seeded with the same stars of gold and ivory, and the fine warm gold line of the horizon crosses the chest and carries on along both sleeves. Here the sun does not stand overhead. It rests just above the line, warm gold and low, and beneath it the water answers: the same sun, broken into shimmering fragments. Not gone, reflected.

This is Kalunga, the threshold of the dikenga cycle: the water line between the world of the living and the world of the ancestors, the midnight to Tukula's noon, the hour of passage. And the promise holds: nothing ends. The sun goes down only to travel the far side of the water and rise again. To wear it is to stand at the crossing unafraid. Wear the moment where you stand.

Part of Dikenga · Night Skies, a numbered all-over drop from Bana Bilaka: the whole night sky, printed edge to edge. Our cotton tees and hoodies carry the emblem as a medallion; this is another object altogether, a collector's piece, the sky worn entire. Two skies open the drop, full noon and the threshold. This is No. 05.

What it means

In Kongo cosmology, life is one sun moving through four moments: conceived at midnight (Musoni), born at dawn (Kala), at full strength at noon (Tukula), passed to the world of the ancestors at dusk (Luvemba). This cycle is the dikenga: one sun, four moments, and the Kalunga line, the water threshold between the worlds, which the cycle crosses without ever stopping. This hoodie holds the cycle at its threshold, the sun on the water line between descent and return. Its twin piece, Tukula · Night Skies No. 03, holds the zenith.

After the Kongo cosmology documented by K.K. Bunseki Fu-Kiau, African Cosmology of the Bântu-Kôngo.

Fabric & Fit

95% recycled polyester, 5% spandex, 250 g/m² (7.5 oz/yd²), soft brushed fleece interior, black drawstring, athletic fit.

A whole sky cannot be printed on cotton. All-over sublimation is the only technique that lets the night be worn edge to edge: every panel is dyed before the garment is sewn, and it calls for this soft technical knit. Athletic fit, close to the body: between two sizes, take the size up.

Size Guide

Sizes S to 3XL. Measurements in cm, taken with the garment laid flat. Each piece is cut and sewn by hand: allow up to 2.5 cm of variation.

Shipping & Returns

Printed and sewn to order at our all-over print partner's facility, tracked shipping via DHL eCommerce. United Kingdom: 2 to 3 weeks, up to 4 in peak periods. 30 day returns. Wash inside out, cold.