How African designers are reinventing the traditional into covetable luxury

Early in 2021, Rich Mnisi’s Hiya Kaya ’21 collection sent shock waves across social media, thanks to the R60,000 price tag on one of the items in it — a xibelani skirt. But while many people were quick to jump on the judgment bandwagon (how dare they price a xibelani like that?), too many simply missed the details. Yes, you can probably find a xibelani skirt for 50-times less at a market in Joburg CBD but I doubt it would have been handwoven from 5km of 100% merino wool, with a genuine leather waist belt. It most certainly wouldn’t be Rich Mnisi, either, but I digress.

The xibelani skirt finds its origins within the Vatsonga people of Southern Africa. It is often made of cloth or wool, customised in a variety of colours, and sometimes embellished with beads. Mnisi’s xibelani is an example of how designers from the continent are not only mining their heritage for stories and ideas; they are innovating by elevating traditionally crafted garments using luxe fabrication with sustainability in mind. They are creating a value perception that has, for a long time, perpetuated a disregard or outright downplaying of the continent’s rich craft traditions — and therefore, the people who have these rare skills, often inherited rather than being acquired from Western-style education.

Take Lagos, Nigeria-based Kennent Ize, for example. Ize is far and away one of the continent’s best talents — a couture-tier craftsmans. Ize owns a factory in Lagos where his handwoven textiles are made exclusively for his label. One of these is the striped aso-oke fabric, which traces its roots to Yorubaland in the 15th century.

The Yoruba wear aso-oke rendered garments — the agbaba worn by men, for example — for special celebrations like weddings, but over the centuries, the fabric has had many variations as it spread across Nigeria. It is traditionally spun from cotton and then painstakingly woven into various colourful signature patterns. Ize makes the fabric into high-quality every day garments — blazers, tunics, shirts, etc.

Shekudo, another Nigerian brand, makes made-to-order shoes crafted from aso-oke fabric by craftspeople for whom these traditional crafting methods are bread and butter.

Weaving African traditions into design is not unique to younger designers. In SA specifically, many will recall the likes of Sun Goddess as brands that sought to bring a fresh appeal to traditional garments, but this is where I would argue the difference is.

While Sun Goddess and the like quite simply made traditional Xhosa garb appealing to a new generation, what the likes of Ize, Mnisi and even Laduma Ngxokolo of MaXhosa and Oshinowo are doing is to elevate traditional craft methods by creating utilitarian clothing with the kind of contemporary appeal that has made them some of the most recognisable names in African fashion and design. 

Additionally, many of them are specifically reviving these methods by employing traditional crafters, giving a new lease on life to techniques that would otherwise die out due to perceptions that they hold no appeal to those who have a taste for modern, luxury fashion. There’s an opportunity here for these techniques to get passed down to younger generations who will not see them as outdated, or reserved for traditional ceremonies. It’s everyday wear that is stylish, from brands that offer a product as well-crafted and covetable as Gucci, Burberry and others like them.