The Reimagining Heritage, Archives and Museums: Today/Tomorrow convening took place from 13th to 15th February 2024 at the Homecoming Centre in Cape Town.
This discussion explored how contemporary African designers are creating garments that preserve and engage with African heritage.
Moderated by Emilie Gambade (Multimedia journalist and Editor of Maverick Life, Daily Maverick), the panel comprised Nkuli Mlangeni-Berg (Founder and Creative Director at The Ninevites), Mbali Mthethwa (Founder and Creative Director at The Herd Designs), Lukhanyo Mdingi (Founder and Creative Director at Lukhanyo Mdingi), Thebe Magugu (Founder and Creative Director at Thebe Magugu), and Dr Erica de Greef (Managing Director, The African Fashion Research Institute – AFRI).
Thebe Magugu recently created the custom heirloom shirt, inviting his buyers to send photographs of their loved ones to be part of the design – which then preserves family history and creates a legacy artefact.
Lukhanyo Mdingi won the Amiri Prize in 2023 by impressing the judges with his intricate and authentically African designs, and his fashion practice aims to preserve craftsmanship itself.
The Ninevites is a collaborative textile design studio that prides itself on “gathering threads from across the continent and weaving them all into one beautiful story” – thus telling the story of Africa.
The Herd Designs is a collaborative collective that creates works which are “rooted in African traditional artisanal techniques and culture [and] pay homage to the undervalued history of craft expertise and artisanal skills pioneered and mastered by Nguni cultural groups”.
Founded in 2019, AFRI is dedicated to the effectuation of Africa-centrism across all elements of the fashion industry, fashion processes and fashion objects.
Watch the full video below to learn more about the place of design and fashion in African heritage, in the face of a contemporary present and from these aforementioned diverse perspectives.
