Before attending Onwabile & Khwezi Myeza’s traditional African wedding, I had to find a dress. It would be the first time that I travelled to Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape and the first time I would wear a traditional outfit.
When I started looking at buying a dress, prices ranged from R400 on second-hand platforms like Yaga to R7,000 for new ones. I also looked at dress hire options.
Hiring outfits aims to solve a simple problem: instead of buying something you’ll only wear once, you can hire it at a fraction of the retail price. It also fits neatly into the circular economy narrative, which encourages extending the life of garments and reducing demand for new clothing.
Yet, when it comes to traditional African clothing, it’s not that simple. Surprisingly, none of the major South African rental platforms offered traditional dresses.
From the bride, Onwabile Myeza, I learned that a traditional wedding dress is often custom-made – not just for fit, but for meaning. The combination of colours and embellishments tells a story, and each piece carries symbolism. “You also want to own umbhaco,” she says, referring to the thick, textured cotton woven in traditional Xhosa patterns. She added that parts of her dress could be re-worn for other ceremonies – something not typical of a white wedding.
The same principle applies to guests: many prefer custom-made garments to ensure quality, durability, and cultural authenticity, and to allow restyling for future events. The bride’s brief requested Xhosa attire in navy, turquoise, blue, red, and cream, and most guests, she explained, opted for custom pieces rather than rental to fully reflect these colours and patterns. The bride mentioned hygiene concerns – a sentiment echoed by many people who hesitate to rent clothing.
Still, hiring does appeal to a smaller segment of people attending a traditional wedding: people from other racial or cultural backgrounds attending traditional weddings, or television productions needing authentic attire.
I eventually found a dress to rent through the local designer Fashion Haus Of Maquenzi in Springbok, via social media. The dress had originally been made for a matric dance and was a beautiful West African cotton print: slightly dramatic, with stiffening on one side that I wanted removed, and it needed a small adjustment around the waist. With some alterations by the designer, it fitted perfectly, though it didn’t exactly align with the traditional Xhosa colour palette or patterns specified in the bride’s brief.
Adeleen Cloete, right, wearing a rented dress from Fashion Haus of Maquenzi with a friend
Reflecting on this rental experience – from scouring online platforms to negotiating last-minute adjustments – I realised how complex rental can be. Many garments available for hire are one-of-a-kind, and finding one that fits both your body and the occasion can be challenging.
The solution, I think, lies in more localised models that solve for fit and flexibility – options that are available on shorter notice and reduce excessive transportation. Research suggests that limited consumer adoption of fashion rental often stems from concerns about cleanliness, garment quality, and trust in digital business models. These barriers are amplified when cultural meaning and craftsmanship come into play. Onwabile confirmed that the same principle applies when attending traditional events as guests, explaining that they – and many others she knows – prefer custom-made attire to ensure both quality and cultural authenticity.
So, will the traditional African fashion market remain elusive to the rental model, or could education, storytelling, and trust-building eventually change that?
- Feature image and additional images of Onwabile Myeza wearing her traditional dress made by Solanga Fashion Creations
- Adeleen Cloete has a background in environmental science and is employed in the sector. She holds an MBA (UCT) and is based in Springbok in the Northern Cape of South Africa
