Demetria Hiwa

Most of the world’s countries have, or at some point in time have had a national way of dressing, looking back there was once a time you could easily identify where someone was from based on their attire. As times have progressed, globalisation and westernisation have decreased the popularity of these unique fashions. Taking inspiration from the work of Queen Sirikit of Thailand, looking at her efforts and successes in reviving Thai national dress I decided that for my Final Degree Project, I would take a step forward in doing the same thing for Malawi. By researching Malawi’s fashion history, I learned about Malawi’s national dress, The Chilundu, and with inspiration from that history, I have created Chilundu garment designs for the modern Malawian woman. Then, taking inspiration from the country’s natural beauties I have designed woven fabrics to be used in the assembly of the Chilundu ensembles. With this project, I hope to begin the process of reviving and popularising the donning of Malawian apparel among Malawians and add to the country’s fashion history.