Minnie Dlamini is on her way to becoming a new mother and she revealed the news to her fans in the most stylish way. She broke the internet when she revealed her growing baby bump in a stylish traditional attire, little did anyone know that there is a much deeper meaning to the garment.
Read more: Minnie: “I’m Sooooo Excited, I Can’t Wait”
On Instagram Minnie shared a lengthy post whilst trying to highlight the importance of accepting ones heritage. On Heritage Day Minnie posted another picture and revealed that it was shot at her house at her back garden, adding that she will be raising her child there.She talked about how her maternity dress, which was designed and handmade by Asanda Madyibi, paid homage to her culture as a proud Zulu woman. Researching the customs that were practiced and how they were practiced back in the day, she shared some interesting facts and executed them very well, all with the help of Asanda.
“I had so many ideas of how I wanted to reveal my pregnancy and as usual I was looking for something that hadn’t be done before. In the attempt to pay respect to my culture, I did some research on how a Zulu pregnant woman looked like back in the day. Our culture is so rich with amazing clothing, patterns, colors and designs, all of which have symbolic meaning. For example the hat a woman wears symbolizes that she is a married woman,” she wrote.”The clothes she wears symbolizes whether she is a girl, a woman, a wife, or a mother to be. The patterns on a maternity apron determine many things, among which is the sex of the baby,” she winked.
The rest of her post reads as such:
“In this image shot in my backyard, to represent where my child will be raised, I’m dressed in a bespoke Zulu pregnancy apron called “Ingcayi” hand made and beaded by @asandamadyibi. Historically the hide would have been a gift from my father in law from a hunt. The beadwork and design would have been handmade & gifted to me by mother in law with messages and symbols of the family lineage almost like the western family crest.
“I’m so proud to show off my culture in a time where so much creativity and evolution has made us look at the art instead of the rich cultural meanings behind the items we fashionably wear today. I am and always will be a proud Zulu woman,” se concluded.