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INSPIRING CREATIVE AFRICAN DESIGN
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
A garland of flowers, a veil of seed-pods, a buffalo horn, a crown of melons, feathers, stems and stalks - Mother Nature has provided a fully stocked wardrobe.
Although the origins of this astonishing tradition have been lost over the years - the Surma and Mursi spend much of their time involved in tribal and guerilla warfare - their homeland is a hotbed of the arms and ivory trades.
Fifteen tribes have lived in this region since time immemorial, and many use zebra skins for leggings, snail shells for necklaces and clay to stick their wonderful designs to their heads.
As they paint each other's bodies and make bold decisions about their outfits (all without the aid of mirrors), it seems that the only thing that motivates them is the sheer fun of creating their looks, and showing them off to other members of the tribe.
As a celebration of themselves and of their stunning environment, this is truly an African fashion parade like no other.
Pictures by Hans Silvester (Rapho/Camera Press) from the book Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa by Hans Silvester, published by Thames and Hudson.
