These pictures were taken in September 2017. It was officially Spring in Cape Town, but the weather hadn’t really warmed up just yet. We all know that Spring takes a while to arrive. So it was a beautifully sunny day but the sea was rough. So I decided to take some cute pictures a few blocks from my apartment with the backdrop of the ocean and the beautiful Bantry Bay. I thought the atmosphere was excellent to also capture the beauty of the Maasai Shuka. I have had this particular Maasai Shuka, a.k.a. the African Cloth, for a while now, maybe like three years. I bought it downtown Cape Town. I don’t think the shop is even open anymore. I know that there is another shop on Stand street, between Bree and Loop Street that sells the Maasai Shuka. I bought a different Shuka there for a friend recently. Of course, if you have the money, I would say just to go Kenya and go to the source of it all. For the look, I paired the Shuka with big Zulu beaded earrings and beaded bangles. I also paired with a beaded headband that is found in a number of Southern African communities. All my beadwork is bought from a Khayelitsha Beading Group that has a stall at Green Market Square in Cape Town.
I love my Maasai Shuka. I love that it’s distinctly Maasai. I love that it has strong colours that can’t be missed. I love that it is flamboyant but still retains its association with Maasai men. It is recognisable anywhere in the world, by those who know. One of my greatest memory of my Maasai Shuka was when I was spending some time in Belgium for my studies. While I was travelling from Ghent to Brussels, I was walking in Ghent Saint Peter’s Train Station I was wearing my Maasai Shuka and this black guy shouted to me as I passed him, Kenya! We didn’t know each other, but he recognised the Maasai Shuka. It was a great moment because I smiled at him and I waved at him. Although I am not Kenyan, at that moment I might as well have been. This is what I mean when I say this fabric is recognisable anywhere in the world – to those who know. What I loved about that moment is that the guy didn’t place the fabric in “Africa” as the continent is often talked about in Europe, but specified where my fabric came from.
Fashion is about identity. Fashion is about communicating something about yourself. Fashion is a moment adding colour to an otherwise dreary and conformist world. I love Maasai Shuka because it adds glamour to the sometimes boring t-shirt and jeans Cape Town streets. It’s almost winter in Cape Town, in fact as I write this it’s raining. So it’s time for me to take out my Maasai Shuka.
Photography by Pierre.