After the Market Theatre, we headed to the high-end South African clothing designer, Sun Goddess.

At Sun Goddess, Sarah and I interviewed the owners/designers of Sun Goddess, Mr. and Mrs. Mangaliso who are of Xhosa decent. Once again, the ProjectExplorer women crowded into a the small space while Christopher and Henry patiently waited in the hallway for us to finish.

After our interviews, we got to play dress up! Even Meredith put down the camera for a little while and joined in the fun. Some of the fashion assistants tied Meredith’s hair up in this elaborate headscarf. We all studied how the scarf was tied so that we could try it out on our own.  I got to try on a beautiful dress that had been created for and worn previously by Miss Teen South Africa.  Made of brown leather and silk, the dress had to be laced all the way up the back making for good posture but some difficult breathing if done too tightly. Sarah tried on a ncebetha, which is a traditional Xhosa piece of clothing similar to an apron. Of course, we modeled everything for Christopher and Henry who were eagerly waiting to see what we were going to come out in next.

In the midst of all our fun, the team remembered that there was an important lesson in today’s excursion. The textile and fashion industries are extremely important to the South African economy. There are a number of top fashion designers emerging from the country; Cape Town now boasts a well-known fashion week; and the industry is helping to create many new jobs in the country.

Who knows, perhaps some big Hollywood celebrity will wear Sun Goddess on their next trip down the red carpet?

Your fashion-forward friend,

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