AmaZulu Traditional Clothing – from Beadwork to Animal Skins. Originally the Zulu clan used to make their clothing with animal skins. A Zulu man will dress in their full attire with:
An Umqele on his head
Amambatha on his shoulders
Ibheshu around his waist which plays the role of a trouser
The front part of Ibheshu is called isnene
The private part is covered with umcedo which plays the role of the underwear
On his foot he will wear Indavuzwana which is now called Imbadada.
A woman in full Zulu traditional attire will be dressed with:
An Inhloko is used to by a woman’s head
Because of modernization Zulu women no longer use animal but instead they use strong cloths
On her upper body the women will were a vest with ub’hlali (beadwork) over it.
Ubusengu will be around the women’s legs.
Traditional Attire Combined with Western Fashion
Recently most African men are seen wearing Umbhlaselo which is traditional attire the combines the western fashion with the African fashion. It is usually the Maskadi musicians who use Umbhlaselo and because of that this kind of clothing has become very popular amongst the Zulu community.