Dressing King Misuzulu
Durban - Designers who have been dressing King Misuzulu are confident the royal garments stitched for his coronation ceremony, to be held on Saturday, will make him the best-dressed man at the event.
King Misuzulu will be officially crowned as the eighth amaZulu king at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium, in what is expected to be a watershed event in Zulu history. Known for his dapper appearance since taking over the throne last year, King Misuzulu has managed to maintain his good fashion sense, often sporting designer shirts, suits and shoes. His style can be accredited to two designers.
Durban-based designer Janak Parekh, known for dressing the rich and famous, is one of them. Parekh has designed several luxury suits for the king and has a long history with the Zulu royal family, having designed suits for the late King Zwelithini as well as other princes. Parekh was reluctant to provide details of his work.
“There is a protocol that I must follow, but I am confident that the king will look good on the day. Maybe he will opt for the traditional attire or a suit, it is really up to him. But the king will look good next week for sure,” he said. The king is likely to opt for a suit, as his father, King Zwelithini, wore one during his coronation in 1971.
In August, during his entering-thekraal ceremony, King Misuzulu was in the full traditional attire decorated with black feathers, which are reserved for the kings. The colour red has also been used by many kings in recent years for special occasions.
The king’s other go-to designer is Mthoko Masondo, a Johannesburg stylist. Masondo has made several suits, shirts and shoes for the king since he took the throne. He said the opportunity to dress the king had been special. He said “loud” colours like orange or red were t h e king’s favourites.
But he had advised him to opt for more darker colours because of his high status in the country. Masondo said most of the outfits he produced were navy or grey.
“Those colours command presence and I’d add the bright colour as a tie or broach. He loves my shoes more than the suits.” He said the suits and shoes were high-end, imported from Italy.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE