By Doris Rivas
The motto on South Africa's coat of arms translates as 'Unity in diversity'. This is a country where people of many different cultural backgrounds and from all walks of life are trying to overcome the divisions of the past and forge a national identity. The result is that there is a cultural cross-pollination that also shows itself in South African clothing.
Traditional attire depends on a person's culture. Within each culture, there are also special clothes for people depending on their social status. For example, a young, unmarried woman will usually be seen wearing a very different type of traditional outfit than an older, married woman, while a traditional healer will wear something else entirely.
Today, however, it is unusual to see someone in South Africa wearing traditional attire unless it's at a special event like a traditional wedding. Most people's everyday clothes are Western clothes like jeans and T-shirts. The influence of Western culture is so great that it is even evident in certain traditional costumes.
Traditional attire depends on a person's culture. Within each culture, there are also special clothes for people depending on their social status. For example, a young, unmarried woman will usually be seen wearing a very different type of traditional outfit than an older, married woman, while a traditional healer will wear something else entirely.
Today, however, it is unusual to see someone in South Africa wearing traditional attire unless it's at a special event like a traditional wedding. Most people's everyday clothes are Western clothes like jeans and T-shirts. The influence of Western culture is so great that it is even evident in certain traditional costumes.
An example of this Western influence on tradition is the way that Xhosa youths have to dress for the three months following their initiation rituals. At some point in the past, animal skins were substituted by long trousers, a shirt, a jacket and a cap in the style of the 1920s. This is still the outfit that signifies that a boy has officially become a man.
In a reversal of the situation, traditional clothes are also influencing Western-style outfits in the country. For example, the Rainbow Nation's fashion designers love using bold and bright colors like those found in Zulu and Ndebele beadwork. Another popular design element is the use of fabrics specific to certain cultures, like the fabrics for the saris that many women in the Indian community wear, to create something new entirely, like jewel-colored dresses.
Another example of a culture-specific fabric that has made its way into mainstream fashion is 'shweshwe', a strong and affordable fabric used in the attire of Basotho women. It is characterized by a geometric pattern printed in white onto a brown or blue background. A red background is now used more often too. While this fabric has always been used for dresses and headscarves to match, designers are now using it in shoes, bags and skirts too.
Since the advent of democracy after a long liberation struggle, icons from the country's history have also inspired design. The most popular is Nelson Mandela, whose face is often seen on T-shirts, wristwatches and print fabrics. As the country's people are finally embracing their identity as Africans, no matter what their skin color, the African continent pops up everywhere in prints on fabrics, in jewelry and even tattoos.
These design trends are thanks to the work of the many designers who are making their mark not only on the catwalks at SA Fashion Week, but also on the streets. Retail stores are showing their support by stocking ranges by up-and-coming designers at affordable prices. Consumers are also doin
In a reversal of the situation, traditional clothes are also influencing Western-style outfits in the country. For example, the Rainbow Nation's fashion designers love using bold and bright colors like those found in Zulu and Ndebele beadwork. Another popular design element is the use of fabrics specific to certain cultures, like the fabrics for the saris that many women in the Indian community wear, to create something new entirely, like jewel-colored dresses.
Another example of a culture-specific fabric that has made its way into mainstream fashion is 'shweshwe', a strong and affordable fabric used in the attire of Basotho women. It is characterized by a geometric pattern printed in white onto a brown or blue background. A red background is now used more often too. While this fabric has always been used for dresses and headscarves to match, designers are now using it in shoes, bags and skirts too.
Since the advent of democracy after a long liberation struggle, icons from the country's history have also inspired design. The most popular is Nelson Mandela, whose face is often seen on T-shirts, wristwatches and print fabrics. As the country's people are finally embracing their identity as Africans, no matter what their skin color, the African continent pops up everywhere in prints on fabrics, in jewelry and even tattoos.
These design trends are thanks to the work of the many designers who are making their mark not only on the catwalks at SA Fashion Week, but also on the streets. Retail stores are showing their support by stocking ranges by up-and-coming designers at affordable prices. Consumers are also doin
Another example of a culture-specific fabric that has made its way into mainstream fashion is 'shweshwe', a strong and affordable fabric used in the attire of Basotho women. It is characterized by a geometric pattern printed in white onto a brown or blue background. A red background is now used more often too. While this fabric has always been used for dresses and headscarves to match, designers are now using it in shoes, bags and skirts too.
Since the advent of democracy after a long liberation struggle, icons from the country's history have also inspired design. The most popular is Nelson Mandela, whose face is often seen on T-shirts, wristwatches and print fabrics. As the country's people are finally embracing their identity as Africans, no matter what their skin color, the African continent pops up everywhere in prints on fabrics, in jewelry and even tattoos.
These design trends are thanks to the work of the many designers who are making their mark not only on the catwalks at SA Fashion Week, but also on the streets. Retail stores are showing their support by stocking ranges by up-and-coming designers at affordable prices. Consumers are also doing much to support the South African clothing industry. Trends come and go, but often the trend is to favor a home-grown brand instead of the major international brands that every teenager usually desires.
About the Author:
Since the advent of democracy after a long liberation struggle, icons from the country's history have also inspired design. The most popular is Nelson Mandela, whose face is often seen on T-shirts, wristwatches and print fabrics. As the country's people are finally embracing their identity as Africans, no matter what their skin color, the African continent pops up everywhere in prints on fabrics, in jewelry and even tattoos.
These design trends are thanks to the work of the many designers who are making their mark not only on the catwalks at SA Fashion Week, but also on the streets. Retail stores are showing their support by stocking ranges by up-and-coming designers at affordable prices. Consumers are also doing much to support the South African clothing industry. Trends come and go, but often the trend is to favor a home-grown brand instead of the major international brands that every teenager usually desires.
About the Author:
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