Kanyo M Atelier unveils traditional bridal collection
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Friday March 5, 2021 15:58
In an interview with Arts & Culture, Molale said the new collection titled “A Solemn Ode to Love” was a defining step for the youth-owned luxury outfit. He added that the brand produced mainly high-end summer and winter ready-to-wear collections.
Conceptualised during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Morale said the collection carries a solemn mood cognisant of the intimate African weddings during this period. He stated that African weddings were known to be culturally flamboyant occasions often spanning months or weeks. He also explained that when he conceptualised each of the looks in the collection, he revisited initial ideas of what English wedding regalia represented and how it was carried into influential African settings such as royalty and politics. “You cannot deny the influence was quite great on many African cultures. When deconstructing the ideas of wedding regalia, I didn’t want to completely annihilate the concept of the white wedding gown because I believe up until this point it’s those ideas that have had a bearing on how our traditions and culture have evolved. Completely omitting that truth would be painting an untruthful picture about what I deem would be an African wedding gown,” he illuminated. Taking a closer look at each of the gowns in the collection, one can easily note the fact that they all carry the same notes of a true English robe mariée (wedding gown). However, it’s also hard to miss the fact that they are entirely made from traditional German print. According to Molale, the embrace of the two cultures was carried out elegantly in a sophisticated and well thought out manner that was befitting of royal wedding. He pointed out that the imagery from the campaign didn’t leave much for the imagination either, carrying a likeness that could be seen in renaissance portraits.
Molale pointed out that ordinarily, when people think of bridal wear or grooms wear, they often draw ideas from traditional western customs but that should not always be the case. He said in his work he receives clients who wanted Setswana traditional gowns but don’t often give the idea of a German print wedding gown a chance.
He also explained that most of the time, those gowns would serve as either a second outfit for the wedding or traditional ceremony. Furthermore, he said that the modern white wedding dress often overpowered the traditional wedding gown which usually would be an afterthought, a mentality that he promised that his clothing line intends to eliminate. To view more of the collection, he said individuals must visit their social media pages: instagram.com/@kanyo_mbw or facebook.com/KanyoM267.