South Africa is a country with a lot of diversity. People from different cultural, religious, linguistic and economic groups all live together in the same country. This diversity but also the way that people find unity in their diversity can be seen in South African clothing.
Traditional garb differs from one culture to another. Even within the same cultural group, a person's outfit can tell you a lot about his or her social position. While a married woman may wear one type of costume, for instance, an unmarried one will be seen in something very different. An even more distinctive outfit will be the one that a traditional healer wears.
It is not often that South Africans wear traditional clothes as everyday outfits anymore, however. Most people dress in Western clothing and leave the traditional garb for special events. Even then there is often cross-pollination.
An example is the clothing that young Xhosa men are supposed to wear to show that they have just gone through initiation. After the ceremony that officially announces their manhood, they dress in long trousers and a shirt, along with a jacket and a 1920s style plaid cap. They have to wear this for three months and are not allowed to take off the jacket when it's hot. Sometime in the past this type of outfit became the symbol of being an adult man and the culture has adopted this as tradition.
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.
A popular design element that has emerged in fashion in recent years is the use of 'shweshwe' in everything from skirts to shoes and bags. 'Shweshwe' is a strong fabric that has white geometric print on a brown or blue background, although a red background is also becoming more common. Traditionally only Basotho women wore this fabric and they only used it in dresses and matching headscarves.
The country's turbulent history has also influenced the way that people dress today. With the advent of democracy in 1994, South Africa emerged from international isolation and started regaining its identity as an African nation. This has led to a plethora of designs that pay tribute to heroes like Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko. Almost twenty years later, a particularly popular motif is still the outline of the African continent, whether it is on a t-shirt, jewelery or a tattoo.
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.
Traditional garb differs from one culture to another. Even within the same cultural group, a person's outfit can tell you a lot about his or her social position. While a married woman may wear one type of costume, for instance, an unmarried one will be seen in something very different. An even more distinctive outfit will be the one that a traditional healer wears.
It is not often that South Africans wear traditional clothes as everyday outfits anymore, however. Most people dress in Western clothing and leave the traditional garb for special events. Even then there is often cross-pollination.
An example is the clothing that young Xhosa men are supposed to wear to show that they have just gone through initiation. After the ceremony that officially announces their manhood, they dress in long trousers and a shirt, along with a jacket and a 1920s style plaid cap. They have to wear this for three months and are not allowed to take off the jacket when it's hot. Sometime in the past this type of outfit became the symbol of being an adult man and the culture has adopted this as tradition.
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.
A popular design element that has emerged in fashion in recent years is the use of 'shweshwe' in everything from skirts to shoes and bags. 'Shweshwe' is a strong fabric that has white geometric print on a brown or blue background, although a red background is also becoming more common. Traditionally only Basotho women wore this fabric and they only used it in dresses and matching headscarves.
The country's turbulent history has also influenced the way that people dress today. With the advent of democracy in 1994, South Africa emerged from international isolation and started regaining its identity as an African nation. This has led to a plethora of designs that pay tribute to heroes like Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko. Almost twenty years later, a particularly popular motif is still the outline of the African continent, whether it is on a t-shirt, jewelery or a tattoo.
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.
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