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- Thebe Magugu recently launched its latest collection dubbed 'Heritage III: Lobola Negotiations'.
- The collection celebrates South African lobola negotiations with vibrant dresses and shirts and features 18 South African icons.
- While the collection has a few of our favourite dresses, the items do not come cheap, with one dress retailing for R14 500 and a shirt going for R9 500.
- For more lifestyle news, go to the News24 Life front page.
In its latest heritage capsule, the South African luxury fashion brand Thebe Magugu unveiled a collection that celebrates the heritage of lobola negotiations, and we are absolutely in love with the Ndebele, Swati, and Xhosa lobola dresses.
The recently launched collection, titled ‘Heritage III: Lobola Negotiations,’ was first teased early in April in an Instagram post featuring R100 Thebe Magugu banknotes and the name of the collection. This was followed by a series of posts, including one with Dr John Kani and the release date of the much-anticipated range.
On Sunday, the fashion brand finally unveiled the collection in a post featuring 18 famous South African faces from various industries adorned in the heritage capsule, which aims to explore the South African marriage tradition known as Lobola.
"Exclusive to British Vogue, this instalment explores 'Lobola,' which is a centuries-old negotiation process in anticipation of eventual marriage, where the family of the groom approaches the family of the bride with an offer - traditionally cattle, contemporarily money - in 'exchange' for the bride herself.
"This is meant to be symbolic rather than ownership, and the exact margins of this practice change from culture to culture," the brand wrote in an Instagram post.
The much-awaited garments feature nine colourful bell-sleeved maxi shirt-like dresses with exaggerated collars. Alongside the dresses are nine long-sleeved satin shirts with the same prints found on each dress.
The garments not only feature vibrant colours but also illustrations of nine South African tribes, including Zulu, Pedi, Xhosa, Tsonga, Swati, Sotho, Tswana, Venda, and Ndebele.
18 South African icons
In addition to the collection standing out in itself, another thing that caught the attention of many was the use of public figures to reveal the collection.
This includes 18 icons like Thebe Magugu himself, Ama Qamata, Anele Mdoda, Boity Thulo, Dr. John Kani, Zoë Modiga, Priddy Ugly, Nomzamo Mbatha, Prof Thuli Madonsela, Thapelo Mokoena, and many others.
Collection favourites
While the design and cut of the dresses are identical, the garments boast different colours and prints, and we are absolutely obsessed with the colour combination and print on the Ndebele, Xhosa, and Swati dresses and their shirts to match.
The Xhosa dress, in cream white, features three Xhosa women in their traditional red, navy blue, and pastel attire dancing in celebration. On Magugu’s Instagram page, the dress is worn by musician Zoë Modiga, who has a black swan on her head.
"Musician Zoë Modiga - the voice of her generation - enchants in the Xhosa Lobola Dress. On her head sits a demure black swan - a waterfowl known for its life-long monogamy and its association as a symbol of wisdom," the designer wrote.
The Ndebele dress with artwork illustrated by Phathu Nembilwi stands out due to its regal blue colour, which allows the two Ndebele women to stand out in their long Ndebele blanket-like dresses.
The garment is worn by ceramist Zizipho Poswa, whose artwork recently featured in Southern Guild’s booth at Expo Chicago in the US. She also showcased her artwork in Los Angeles in February.
Another masterpiece in the collection is the pastel green Swati Lobola dress boasting two Swati women, worn by Prof. Madonsela. The back of the dress features the famous Swati Hiya, typically worn during traditional ceremonies.
While the garments are not on the market yet, Magugu announced that they will be available for pre-order from 6 May 2024, with the dresses retailing for R14 500 each and the shirts going for R9 500.
