Documenting changing fashion in Africa post-1960
This thick blanket is an iconic textile in southern Africa. Originating in Lesotho, they are associated with King Moshoeshoe I (c. 1786 – 1870) who was also responsible for popularising shweshwe fabric. Basotho blankets are worn around the shoulders secured with a large pin, reminescent of the way in which Sotho men would have traditionally Read More …
This thick blanket is an iconic textile in southern Africa. Originating in Lesotho, they are associated with King Moshoeshoe I (c. 1786 – 1870) who was also responsible for popularising shweshwe fabric. Basotho blankets are worn around the shoulders secured with a large pin, reminescent of the way in which Sotho men would have traditionally Read More …
Shweshwe is a printed cotton fabric that is so ubiquitous in southern Africa that it has been called the denim of the region. The name is derived from King Moshoeshoe I of Lesotho (c. 1786 – 1870) who first popularised it. It is also known as German cloth after the Swiss and German settlers who Read More …
This thick woollen blanket is an iconic textile in southern Africa. Originating in Lesotho, they are associated with King Moshoeshoe I (c. 1786 – 1870) who was also responsible for popularising shweshwe fabric. Basotho blankets are worn around the shoulders secured with a large pin, reminescent of the way in which Sotho men would have Read More …
This leather outfit was part of Clive Rundle’s collection entitled AFRIDESIA, originally presented at the New York Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in 2003. Each piece is a complex construction involving intricate processes. While his work has a sculptural quality, Rundle says it is the discipline of making garments to be worn on the body that motivates Read More …
This T shirt is one of many designs produced for the South African presidential elections in 1994, the country’s first fully representative democratic election. It was worn in support of the African National Congress (ANC) party and their candidate Nelson Mandela, who became South Africa’s first black head of state. This form of ‘protest’ or Read More …
This skirt and wrap are made from thick blanket fabric dyed with red ochre and decorated with black fabric embellishments, beads and mother of pearl buttons. This outfit was worn typically by married Xhosa women living in the Drakensberg mountain region of Eastern Cape, South Africa. It was bought by a dealer in the 1980s Read More …