Most people worldwide have fashion or style, which identifies who they are as person, where they are from, both to their personal and cultural background, as well as could also communicate their status in society. Fashion has evolved over the centuries as society has become more modernized, and as new styles have become more popular, appealing, or even have become more publicly accepted. This includes most traditional clothes, that have had to evolve to better accommodate the developing society. But, unfortunately, not many strive to evolve traditional wear, and would rather focus on mainstream fashion, that is more and more commonly seen on television, especially in American TV shows. So where can someone go to receive both fashion advice, professional styling and unique creative clothing items, whilst still sticking to their cultural roots?
One business in Africa that has put great efforts and has gone through great lengths to accommodate to traditional wear is ANTG Ekasi. They too have deep cultural roots, and so are compassionate to those who choose to wear something more traditional as a means to express their individuality. The team helps each and every client express themselves through fashion by combining African apparel with modernized urban fashion in order to create unique masterpieces that could both touch their clients’ hearts and receive public appreciation.
The director of ANTG Ekasi- Thuleka Duze worked as a flight attendant for SAA on international flights, and so had the unique opportunity to travel and experience different countries and different cultures. This is what has inspired her to combine her love for fashion with traditional clothing in order to create fashion pieces for her clients that would eliminate their need to choose between traditional wear, that is uncommonly seen in mainstream society, or to completely change to mainstream clothing. Her inspiration has led her to establish ANTG Ekasi, and so far has had great success and responses from her clients towards her fashionable blend of African apparel and modern fashion.
ANTG Ekasi strives to help preserve culture, as they understand it’s importance to people. Due to Africa becoming more westernized and modernized, many people lose their cultures, and rather accommodate to the new standards that society creates. Due to this, culture is lost, traditional food and clothing is lost, and even language could be lost. ANTG Ekasi tries to eliminate this loss by combining both rural and urban fashion, both traditional and modern clothing, in order to help especially the younger generations not forget their culture, to stay true to their roots, and constantly be reminded of who they are, wherever they are.
ANTG Ekasi creates unique African print bags, shoes, and other items of clothing with African print in order to satisfy their clients’ every taste, every style and every fashionable need, to leave them both happy and appreciated, because they help their clients feel that their cultural background is being acknowledged and appreciated in a beautiful way. Individuals, especially those living in big cities, may often feel like they don’t stand out, that they are just one in a million people living in the same place, and this could cause many problems for those who grew up in a place where everyone knew each other. In order to help, ANTG Ekasi provides individuals not only with fashionable African attire, but also with the confidence to know that they stand out, that their clothes and tastes are unique, and may help clients feel noticed and appreciated by society, as not many have the courage to let themselves stand out.
If you ever feel like your identity is being lost in mainstream society, and that you are unable to express your cultural identity- come to ANTG Ekasi, and they will help you be able to express yourself fully, to be able to feel comfortable in your own skin, but also they will help you shine through the greys of the cities with African-inspired clothing items that have coloured this country for centuries.
For the love of fashion, design and colour, AnTGEkasi started in 2013 by partners Abass Ma-aza and Thuleka (TG) Duze.
www.antgekasi.co.za– African print Bags and Apparel