Tanzanian Maasai beading and Cameroon Toghu cloth: a cultural journey

For The Commonwealth Fashion Exchange 2018, designer Kibonen New York exchanged with artisan Makory Mgece to create a look that highlights traditional embroidery and beading. The look was unveiled at Buckingham Palace on February 19, 2018, and later moved to the Australian High Commission, London, where it was open to the to the public in the run up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit, April 2018.

Using materials like khanga, batik and kitenge, Mgece created her own fashion label, working alongside local artisans that celebrate Tanzanian culture. But it is the intricate Maasai beadwork that most captures the collective imagination, and Mgece uses it often to create modern interpretations of the traditional Tanzanian craft. Beaded pieces accompany the lifecycle of each member of the tribe, indicating age, social and marital status. Red represents the Maasai’s relationship with cattle, their primary source of sustenance; blue is for energy and the sky; green is the land and health; orange and yellow symbolise hospitality; white refers to purity, and black represents the Maasai people. All the jewellery is created by the women of the Maasai tribe, who consider it their duty to continue their tradition. Mgece says,“My mother gave me courage to never be afraid of doing what is on my mind, which would shape me as an independent personality.”