Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana and 2 More Traditional Wedding Dresses Mzansi Loved, SA Designer Breaks Down Cost
- South African women who choose to have traditional weddings are spoilt for choice when it comes to what dress to wear
- Among the many cultures in South Africa, brides could be Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana or Pedi, and all these women have unique attires
- Briefly News spoke to a professional wedding dressmaker, Amanda from Ammy designs, who provided insight into the traditional wedding dress fabrics and more
Traditional weddings are a beautiful sight in the different cultures in South Africa with unique aesthetics. Some brides went viral on social media for their traditional wedding dress looks ranging from Zulu to Xhosa.
Source: UGC
A 29 year older fashion designer, Ammy, spoke to Briefly News about some of the aspects that go into picking a dress. The dressmaker with five years of experience explained the difference in fabrics for Xhosa wedding dresses, like the umbhaco, compared to other materials for Tswana dresses, like the seshoeshoe.
2 Mzansi women wear Xhosa wedding dresses in different styles
SA lady modernises Xhosa wedding
Ammy explains that the wedding dress done by @n.i.m_couture on Instagram is a more modern interpretation of the traditional Xhosa dress.
Ammy explained that traditional Xhosa wedding dresses are made with a specific fabric called umbhaco. The picture in the clip is made with more modern material, duchess satin, which the fashion guru says is for elegant dresses and is R45 per meter.
According to Ammy, what makes the dress traditional is the binding at the bottom which are stripes and beads typical of Xhosa design. The Met Museum explains that the lines in Xhosa fabric are meant to be artistic expressions.
White woman rocks typical traditional Xhosa dress at wedding
Ammy explained that more traditional material for Xhosa dresses could be seen with the bride, who wore a completely traditional wedding ensemble. The bride wore a full-length gown with a shawl on her shoulder also made of umbhaco. Ammy says the material costs R80 per meter, and this bride was covered head to toe, as previously reported by Briefly News. The bride also wore iduku, a signal that one is married, according to Gold Resturant.
The fashion designer explained that the Xhosa traditional type of dress takes much longer to make than its more modern version. Ammy said:
"Working with it is very hard, it needs a lot of time. Once you stitch it, you cannot undo, there will be damage. I like it because it lasts a lifetime."
Ammy describes umbhaco as a tough cotton material with a little stretch that can be tricky to work with. See the dress below:
Zulu modern bride wears Gert Johan Coetzee
Gert Johan Coetzee created a wedding dress for a traditional Zulu wedding. A video showed a bride in a body-con-like dress with tulle flaring at the bottom. Ammy said the fabric is amani which is R70 per meter. The designer says it is for classic, sophisticated creations. She said:
"They used amani because the dress is tight fitting, so it stretches for a perfect fit."
She said that the material is used to achieve a bodycon effect, evident in the Mermaid-style wedding dress. The Zulu traditional element was captured on the beads, acting as a statement necklace to accompany the dress.
SA designer discusses Sotho-Tswana fabrics
Tswana dress gets love on social media
Ammy also commented on a Tswana traditional dress, which was made with a material called three cats. The designer explained the difference between three cats and seshoeshoe is the quality.
Briefly News previously reported on the bride whose dress caused a major buzz. People loved the intricate pleats, lace and beadwork in the bodice.
Seshoeshoe is on the cheaper end at R40 per meter. Other cultures, such as the Sotho people, commonly make use of the material. Three cats is a traditional print of R95-R100 per meter, and Ammy says it is a durable fabric.
Pedi brides who paid respect to tradition at wedding
Amy loves traditional attire, and she shared some of her work. The designer created a fuller-length wedding dress with three cats and a more modern amani material.
To top it all off, the designer said she made the dress in a week!
Source: Original
The top was traditional with Ammy's special beadwork. She took special pride in her work that has unique beading. The designer's quality is superior as she says:
"I like beadwork, I bead them individually. It takes a long time but for the love of my art, I enjoy it, I really do."
Pedi colours on wedding dress are a hit
Another bride went for a more modern look but still stuck to a traditional one. The wife-to-be wore a full ball gown, but it was done in a deep navy blue with pink.
In Pedi culture, these colours are meant to represent joy and happiness, according to The Grace. Any also detailed that the material in the dress is also duchess satin.
Ammys added that traditional dresses are all the rage and that many young women want to incorporate traditional elements into their wedding dresses.
US lady lends SA bride R42k wedding gown, touching tale charms the internet
Briefly News reported that a heartwarming story about a woman generously sharing her wedding dress went viral. One TikTok video shows how two women developed a friendship over a stunning wedding gown.
The video shows how a bride-to-be wanted a dress she saw on a content creator. Their story of how they managed to share the same dress melted hearts on social media.
The internet loves seeing good samaritans in action. Online users were touched by the story of pure kindness from one stranger to another. Many netizens remarked on how heartwarming the story was, especially because their husbands look alike.
Source: Briefly News
