Johannesburg – In his studio supplied with heaps of texture and sewing machines, Sonwabile Ndamase is glad that the Madiba shirts he intended for Nelson Mandela a long time back persevere as a tradition of South Africa’s most memorable equitably chosen pioneer.
Worn untucked and without a coat, the free Madiba shirts stay a number one among South African lawmakers, saying something 10 years after Mandela’s demise.
In South Africa, Mandela is known by his clan name, Madiba. Cyril Ramaphosa, the current president of South Africa, as well as Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, his predecessors, are among Ndamase’s clients. Ministers, government spokespeople, and local politicians are among the political and business elite of the nation who frequently issue orders. A Madiba shirt can be found on both boxing great Mike Tyson and former US President Bill Clinton.
“Know what they are doing if they want to carry on Mandela’s legacy or ethos in their lives? According to Ndamase, “They will go and pick up Madiba shirts.”
The jovial 64-year-old designer recalls being contacted by Winnie Mandela shortly after the 1990 release of her husband from prison by the apartheid government. The hero of the struggle against white minority rule and soon-to-be president of South Africa required new clothes after serving 27 years in prison. Ndamase met Mandela at his house in Soweto, Johannesburg.
“He began to let me know that he needed something that could look moderate enough for him to proceed to address the chiefs of industry and… then, at that point, likewise to address the majority without transforming,” he said. Mandela didn’t need a tie because he wanted a style that would make him stand out from other politicians.
The self-educated creator concocted the baggy, relaxed yet shrewd silk shirts with striking examples that are related with Mandela even after his demise in 2013 at 95 years old. The patterns on the shirts frequently have an oriental theme. Some have playful designs and deep colors like royal blue, dark grey, and burgundy; others are of cooler, tan tints, portraying components from nature like leaves or twigs. All have the distinctive look of Mandela. Ndamase, who passed away from a mild stroke in March 2024, is passing on this style to a new generation of tailors.
The amusing designer, whose flawless rendition of Mandela exemplifies their time spent together, will host a masterclass for aspiring designers in September in New York. On a similar excursion, he will grandstand his Vukani pristine’s assortment at an occasion for big name and tip top purchasers that will honor the 30 years of a vote based system since South Africa’s most memorable all-race political decision in 1994.
The assortment takes on a more relaxed, loungewear stylish, a breakaway from his typical style, Ndamase said. A filmmaker based in the United States will include this event in a documentary about his career.
Donning a dark goatee, Ndamase ignores the numerous different planners who guarantee to have spearheaded the Madiba shirt or sell variants looking like his own, which today cost around 1,800 rand ($90) each. He claims he never wanted to use the name “Mandela” for commercial purposes, and the late Winnie Mandela once described him as “part of the furniture.” “I dressed for each generation,” he stated. I had a family relationship with someone.
Ndamase still sews in his Johannesburg workshop, where he was born in the township of Mdantsane on the southeast coast. As he stared at the shirt he was working on, he said, “It’s a dream come true.” “It’s a legacy collection,” he said, pointing to a T-shirt from the new collection with the slogan “BE THE LEGACY” and a famous picture of Nelson Mandela and Winnie Mandela walking free in 1990 (AFP).
