The politics of fashion: What does Dlamini-Zuma’s style cost?

You may not agree with her “U-turn” policies on smoking during lockdown and you may have danced to Max Hurell’s parody of her zol speech, but what about Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s head-turning fashion choices, especially when you consider she never seems to repeat the same outfit twice?

When stepping out into the public domain, NDZ, as she is known as, is pure perfection. Currently serving as minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, she dons wax fabric prints worn in more conservative parts of East and West Africa. She is regal, well put together and is the epitome of class at 71 years old.

Her style is the Nigerian Yorba dress. The attire consists of three garments, a blouse, called a buba, the iron, and a headscarf called a head tie in English and a gele in Yorba or as we call it in South Africa, the doek.

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma arrives with Princess Ocansey from Ghana. Picture: Karen Sandison/ANA

NDZ’s love for the doek was apparent in 2016 when she launched an entire campaign dedicated to it with the ANC Women’s League where she encouraged women to wear a doek as part of the My Doek campaign in KwaZulu-Natal. It is both a political and a feminist statement.

Dressed to the 9s. We look into NDZ’s style. Graphic: Costa Mokola

Speaking to fashion designer Vuyo Mokoena of Vuyoo Designs who has designed and hand-stitched clothes for VIPs such as Baleka Mbethe, he says: “People in Dlamini-Zuma’s league have the opportunity to travel through the continent and get the original fabrics. In South African stores we are more exposed to the counterfeit forms of the fabric.”

Her turbans are fabrics that are tied in different traditional styles, this involves securing the pattern with a pin. Some of the headscarves which are of a lighter fabric can be estimated to cost just under R300 each. That is because a headscarf is a common fashion item in South Africa, worn daily among, Muslim and African women, and therefore they are not converted fashion items. Head ties or doeks are common in South Africa and the fabric is only ever pinned so that it be worn again in a different way.

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (R) attends the Colloquium on Land Reform held at the Saint George Hotel and Conference Centre in Irene, Pretoria, South Africa, 22 February 2019. The two-day meeting will be focused on the way forward with regard to the highly emotional topic of land reform in the country. EPA-EFE/STR

When asked about the cost of the ensemble in its entirety, he says that it is dependent on the designer. As her outfits don’t involve too much intricate detail, it could cost anything between R1,000 and R4,000. The types of garments she wears are made by traditional, old-school dressmakers who generally charge under R3,000 to design, stitch and create an entire ensemble.

In total, a full designer outfit could cost from between R4,o00 and R7,000 and this excludes bags, shoes and other accessories.

DRC-born and naturalised South African Citizen, designer Fabrice Moyo of Franc Ellis, describes the wearing of African and kente cloth (an indigenous Ghanaian textile, made of interwoven cloth strips of silk and cotton) as an “African fabric just like any other clothing, there are different types of fabric and qualities to select from”.

Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. Picture: Jacques Nelles.

Moyo explains that Dr Dlamini-Zuma’s fabrics look to be of a higher standard, but in the same vein, some of them are basic and could have been made in China. He says it depends on who’s making it and where the fabric is manufactured.

“The fascination and mystery with the clothing in South Africa is that locals from this country don’t wear their traditional clothes every day, only on Heritage day and for traditional weddings.”

Regarding high profile politicians such as Dlamini-Zuma, Moyo says they would tend to purchase the higher quality fabric. Also, the more bespoke the pattern, the more expensive the fabric. However, most of the Nigerian-inspired style that Dlamini-Zuma wears are generally not that expensive, Moyo says.

“Yes, in West Africa you’ll find the same outfits are affordable to the man on the street because it’s what people prefer and what they wear daily. These are their traditional clothes so such outfits come a dime a dozen but the quality is pocket dependent.”

Cooperative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. Photo: Twitter/@NationalCoGTA

He adds that Western or European designer clothing costs far more: “The thing about wearing African clothing is, price is always negotiable.”

With seamstresses there are fewer overheads, they work from a space in a workshop and don’t have to pay for stores in a mall. Some even work from home and do private consultations. When you’re buying a famous European brand with a trademarked name, billboard, or that has magazine or print ads, you’re likely to pay more.

Moyo says, upon request, most designers in South Africa start at the point of R600 to R1,800 with the price increasing when smaller adornments like beads or sequences are added. Even belts or invisible zips come at an extra cost.

Joseph Tauz sews African garments at an African dress boutique, Hello Beautiful in Fordsburg, 25 August 2020.  Picture:  Tracy Lee Stark

Mokoena has worked with local designers such as Nandipha Madikiza and Sister Bucks who will create an exclusive garment. Wax fabrics are harder in texture and don’t have an elastic stretch that other mass-produced fabrics have. For the garmet to sit properly, one must have it tailored.

“You might find two people wearing the same thing and the fit would be different if it’s store-bought, you have no choice but to take what the store offers as is.”

He says that by using market fabrics and having a designer create a bespoke garment, a customer is encouraging the growth of the local fashion and design industry and giving South Africans jobs.

Traditional African garments are pictured at an African dress boutique, Hello Beautiful in Fordsburg, 25 August 2020.  Picture:  Tracy Lee Stark

Dlamini-Zuma’s choice of outfit is a matter of preference and practicality. Wearing African print promotes her brand visually as an African ambassador, and promotes African job creation and respect for traditional clothing.

The Citizen reached out to Dlamini-Zuma’s team for comment but did not receive a response before publishing this article.

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