Understanding Eswatini (Formerly Swaziland) Traditional Wear - Explainer
In 2018, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its independence as a country, King Mswati III decided that the original name of Swaziland,...
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Insights and Analysis
Shea Butter - Explainer
Shea butter is derived from the Bambara tree, a small tropical African tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) famous in Eastern Africa as the Karite...
Why East Africa Is A Leading Apparel And Textiles Manufacturing Hub - Explainer
The African textile and garment industry has been booming over the last few years due to its vast potential for growth among...
The Dashiki - Explainer
The Dashiki traces its root to the Yoruba tribe in Western Nigeria (Gaither, 2017). Also, the Hausas in Northern Nigeria term the fabric...
The Gele - Explainer
Head ties are a familiar garment that is worn in several different countries in Africa. Due to the diversity of the continent and the...
The Dansinkran - Explainer
The hair is the richest ornament of women (Martin Luther, n.d.). Many women of African ancestry view their hair as emotionally charged,...
Pano Da Costa (Textiles From The Coast) - Explainer
Commercial relations between the Brazilian territory and the African continent were frequent during the colonisation period in Brazil....
Understanding African Hair Threading - Explainer
Before slavery and the colonisation of Africa, hair was a cultural statement, a sign of identification. In each country, it reflected...
Understanding Cowrie Shells - Explainer
Cowrie shells are shells from marine gastropod mollusc that belongs to the family Cypraeidae. Cowrie shells are light beige, small,...
The Djibouti Traditional Wear - Explainer
Djibouti is a blend of Colonial French and modern Arabic influences. It is bordered by Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, as well as by the...
The Voice of Thebe Magugu’s Fashion: An Analysis of Representational Strategies
Jacquiline Maingard, in her (1998) chapter on Framing the South African National Cinema and Television, identified ‘the voice of the...
The Search for African Identity in African fashion SERIES, Part 2: MmusoMaxwell
In the previous entry in this series, we looked at how Sho Madjozi honours the Xibelani while continuing its historical evolution by...
The Outward Expression of “Who am I”: South African Culture and Fashion
Whether we are searching for a suitable career option or writing a bio online, we regularly face the preverbal question of “who am I?” In...
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