Today’s A Journey through Aesthetic Realms will be presented in Zulu and Sepedi, with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Thai and Spanish.

Cheerful viewers, welcome to A Journey through Aesthetic Realms on Supreme Master Television.

Today we will visit the lush land of South Africa to discover the beautiful heritage of the Zulu people through their traditional dress. Every year, several cultural festivals are celebrated in South Africa with folk dances and rituals to express the Zulu people’s faith in God.

One of the most vibrant demonstrations during these events is the traditional dress of Zulu women. The colorful styles and decorations are rich in symbolism. Ms. Rose Mabunda, founder of Tsalemane Art and Culture, is a designer of Zulu and other African-inspired traditional costumes.

Zulu clothes are very beautiful. We like to wear traditional clothes because when you are wearing this you look like a real African.

One of the unique aspects of Ms. Mabunda’s designs is the merging of modern and traditional elements. She introduces us to her elegant designs and the important meanings behind the clothing and accessories.

I make Swati, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu clothes.

Now, we make skirts and then we decorate them with beads to make it more beautiful and to suit anyone who would like to wear it, whether a Masotho or Shangaan, whoever. Everybody can wear it and that is how I make my clothes.

The way I am wearing these clothes, you can wear them in winter and summer. You are supposed to wear them with sandals. So it’s very important to make nice and colorful clothes. And you can wear it anytime. Add a polo neck inside, or this way that I am wearing it, then put a headscarf on top, you can wear it in many, many ways. You can also wear it on the waist or wear it like a scarf.

The Zulu hats, or “isicholos” are worn by women to show respect and status. Traditionally they are made with cotton, straws, or ropes over a frame, and embellished with beads.

This hat that I am wearing on my head symbolizes my culture so that people can see that I am wearing African clothes.

When one gets married, a young woman, they wear this hat.

It is a symbol that now you are married.

I like this headscarf that I am wearing because it’s very comfortable and it’s very important for us to wear comfortable clothes, and it must match with the skirt.

For example, this black skirt must match with the hat or the headscarf, then mix it with a color, like red.

Like the hat, earrings made of materials such as wood and painted with bright colors are a hallmark of Zulu fashion.

I must wear this hat with matching earrings.

My earrings go with the clothes that I am wearing and not ordinary earrings but traditional earrings that we make now. It’s a symbol of our culture and the color reflects the happiness from within that African people have.

It’s orange with beads that I am wearing here, and the colors must match too.

Beadwork is one of the most important features of Zulu attires. The beads are often handmade from a variety of colorful materials.

The beads show that our African culture is so rich and beautiful, and when I am wearing these kinds of clothes, I feel very proud and comfortable that I am an African.

I like to use them because they make the hat look more beautiful, and also on the belt. Different colors make them look divine. That is why I like to use them. And then I make earrings with the same colors so they can match with the clothes.

Let’s take a look at one of Ms. Mabunda’s creations as she explains the detailed consideration she puts into each component of her Zulu dress designs.

This hat is to wear during summer, and these clothes, in winter, you wear it with a headscarf.

When I make it, I make sure that I use the right material to make it nice. Even when it is raining it won’t feel heavy.

I like it very much because you can put your hands inside when it is cold in winter. (Oh, yes.) Especially when it is cold, you can wear this headscarf to keep you warm and a polo neck but in summer, there’s no need to wear it.

Here I use different colors. I use bigger beads and I also use smaller beads. It depends on the customer. And I use all kinds of colors to make it look nice so you don’t have to wear a golden necklace.

You can wear it anywhere you like.

Weddings, funerals and parties.

A Journey through Aesthetic Realms will be back with more Zulu clothing designs by Ms. Mabunda after these brief messages. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.

We like all colors, there is no color that we don’t like, we use all colors.

Welcome back to A Journey through Aesthetic Realms for our show featuring the dignified traditional dress of the Zulu people through the designs of Ms. Rose Mabunda, founder of Tsalemane Art and Culture. The use of brilliantly hued fabrics is popular among Zulu costumes, especially for special occasions such as weddings.

When you are the bride, you are not supposed to wear the way that I am wearing now, you are not supposed to wear these colors.

The bride must wear a red hat during the wedding and she is not supposed to wear a black hat, and the earrings must match with the belt.

That shows that she is now getting married.

The headscarf symbolizes respect according to the Zulu people. Also, a young woman entering the wedding is supposed to wear it. The material is called organza and I can make many things with this material. I use this material to promote our culture so that even young people won’t feel shy to wear our African clothes. So that is why now I also use different materials so that anyone can feel happy to wear these kinds of clothes, to suit our modern times.

I used embroidery and then I have made pleats; then added beads.

This is the way that we are supposed to dress and it is very important that everything matches the skirt. The belt must also be colorful; African people dress this way.

Next, Ms. Mabunda presents a graceful, green traditional outfit.

When you’re wearing this hat, it proves to people you are Zulu. And you can wear it anywhere, in other words, it suitable for all occasions. You can wear it with this headscarf or you can wear it with a hat, then wear these earrings. Make sure that when you wear earrings, they match. And it looks more beautiful when we wear traditional earrings. Then you put this on here and on the head. You can wear it the way it’s suitable for you, it is still okay, or you can wear it the way I am wearing. For shoes, you can wear sneakers, sandals or anything.

The concept of color coordination not only applies to women’s clothes, but also to men’s and children’s.

Men normally wear trousers with patches. I make patches on the trousers so they can look beautiful, and the top must also have the patches so they match with the trousers, and that is very important too. That is the way men wear their clothes. And for children, it’s also the same, I mix and match colors to make it look colorful. I make skirts for girls, but I don’t make hats for girls because they are still young.

The stylish designs by Ms. Mabunda have a universal appeal to not only all Africans but people of other ethnicities as well.

Sepedi people have their own attire and it is different. And Venda people also have their own, and Zulu people wear this way, so all cultures, like, Venda wear different clothes from Sepedi. But that is not important. All people from all cultures can wear Zulu, Shangaan or Venda, there is no problem. And the way that I am wearing, all Africans can wear it.

It does not matter, our clothes are for everybody, whether you are white or black, all cultures wear the clothes that I make and you can see for yourself that it is comfortable.

You can wear them for parties and special occasions. These clothes are suitable for everything and at any time, even when you go to the city you can wear it. It’s fine, and when it’s cold, you can put on warm clothes underneath, like a polo neck. It’s fine, but make sure that your clothes match.

To conclude today’s show, Ms. Mabunda shares the source of her inspiration for the beautiful creations that represent the rich Zulu heritage.

I do this because of my passion. I love doing this. So that when people are wearing them, they should look smart. That is what motivates me.

I also want to promote our culture.

I want our African culture to inspire others.

I believe, to the way I understand it, is that people should know that I am proud to be an African.

Our heartfelt appreciation Ms. Rose Mabunda for sharing her expertise on traditional Zulu dress. May Heaven bless you with continued success in promoting the beautiful traditions of Africa.

For more information on Ms. Rose Mabunda’s designs, please contact: +27 73 056 4496

Pleasant viewers, thank you for your presence for A Journey through Aesthetic Realms on Supreme Master Television. Up next is Vegetarianism: The Noble Way of Living, following Noteworthy News. May the essence of all cultures shine forth to foster harmony and peace on Earth.