GREGORY WALLIS
Durban, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
I have been in the fashion business for almost 53 years. I have experience from the basics of clothing production: designing, creating patterns and grading them for quality assurance. I supply many of the national chain stores in South Africa with specially designed products for women, girls, men, boys and for babies. We produce around 50,000 items per month. In my career in the clothing – textile sector, my knowledge has grown and today I am a mentor, judge, give lessons and consult for companies. Many of my students have become successful and have their own businesses. I have traveled and travel to the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, China and India looking for trends in fabrics, colors, fit, styling and finishing processes. But I’m always fascinated by the psychology of fashion. I have been on many talk shows on television: judge, mentor and coordinator of a reality TV show called ‘Made In Africa’. Now we are busy with the second series. South Africa is the “rainbow nation”, with many ethnic/tribal groups.
The population is approximately 60 million. There are approximately 45 million black South Africans. There are also around 5 million colored South Africans (a union of black and white), 1.5 million Indian/Asian South Africans and around 5 million whites. The population of South Africa is one of the most diverse in the world, of which approximately 52% are women. The black population is divided into 4 main ethnic groups: Nguni (Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele and Swazi), Sotho, Shangan, Tsonga and Venda. The Zulus and Xhosa are the most numerous. The majority of whites are of Afrikaner origin, also called Boers, Dutch and French Europeans and the remainder are of British origin. Coloureds are of mixed ancestry that includes indigenous Xhoisan (Bushmen) genes combined with African slaves who were brought to South Africa from the continent. Most of them live in the Northern and Western Cape provinces, while the Indian population lives in KZN KwaZulu Natal on the coasts of the Indian Ocean. KZN has the largest number of Indians outside India. White Afrikaners are in the Gauteng and Free State provinces and English in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KZN. There are 11 official languages and there will be a twelfth sign language.
What do the Nguni wear? They are known for their love of colour and ornamentation, wearing Western clothing, showing off the traditional dress at celebrations and important events. Skins, beads and objects decorate the image. African fashion offers a glimpse into the continent’s cultures: from brightly colored fabrics to abstractly embroidered dresses to colorful beaded necklaces and bracelets. Because Africa is so diverse, traditional clothing differs in each area. Many West African countries have a distinct regional style of clothing that is the product of long-standing textile craftsmanship in weaving, dyeing, and printing: traditions that coexist with Western styles. There is a great contrast between rural and urban societies. Urban societies are exposed to trade and the changing world, while it takes longer for new Western trends to reach rural areas.
What do Sothos wear? Women’s long dresses and skirts in bright colors and patterns with blankets around the waist. And for special occasions a traditional Basotho dress called “seshoeshoe”, in infinite varieties of designs, models and colours. Men, a short-sleeved shirt with a colorful vest and a cape, as well as a hat decorated with feathers and beads. The Shangan, on the other hand, wear traditional and vibrant clothing, with bright shades of pink, yellow, purple, blue and green.
What do Tsonga and Venda wear? The traditional dress of married women has a goatskin apron covering the front and back. A Wenda fabric. These are narrow strips of fabric hung over a belt at the front and back. Woven grass bracelets and necklaces are worn by women for decoration. Many of the black groups have historically adopted the IsiShweshwe fabric which has a long and complex history of intercontinental trade and cultural exchange. Although its roots are linked to colonization, it is associated with missionaries and political resistance. It has its origins in the Far East and is associated with missionaries and political resistance. It was originally made from cotton and blue dye from the Indigo plant. With trade, it spread to different parts of the world: imported into the Netherlands by the Dutch East India Company, it was available at the Company’s shipping station at The Cape. The oldest origins date back to the mid-1600s. Later, simplified resist dyes were used for a fabric of small white patterns on a deep blue background. It was known in weaving in Germany and was transferred to work clothes and for fighters in peasant wars. But, later adopted by IsiXhosa women in the Eastern Cape as dress. In recent years the IsiShweshwe fabric has emerged in international fashion and worn as everyday dress across the African continent. Definitely trendy!
