The fashion and beauty of Jiva celebrates South Africa’s youth
THERE’S something about watching a classical dancer move with ease and fluidity.
And then there’s the street style of dancing, where pizazz and personality are sometimes more important than the dance moves and techniques.
Watching Jiva, Netflix’s latest African original drama, left us with that feeling. Noxolo Dlamini stars as Ntombi Xaba, a dancer who was forced to abandon her dreams.
Many young people, especially first borns, are expected to give up on their dreams to take care of their families.
Jiva is a reflection of the realities of many young South Africans.
Fortunately for Ntombi, she didn’t give in and managed to pursue her childhood dream. In pursuit of being the best dancer in Mzansi, Ntombi always dresses well for her tour guide job at Ushaka Marine World.
The show’s head of wardrobe, Mpumi Ntintili, said she wanted to celebrate the South African youth.
“I wanted to showcase how dope our fashion was and how the youth have a flair for fashion,” she says.
Ntintili is a fashion stylist with a number of glossy magazine covers under her belt, including Bonang Matheba’s GQ cover in 2018.
That styling experience came in handy when she had to call on designers for garments. “I called on relationships I had with designers.
“I specifically wanted garments that translated great in moving pictures,” she said. It’s evident in some of the outfits chosen for the featured dancers and characters, especially the Umlazi Pushers, led by Given Stuurman’s character, Samukelo and also with Ntombi’s love interest, Makhekhe (Ntuthuzelo Grootboom). Makhekhe has one of the best wardrobes on the show, which was mainly to show just how successful he has become. He donned Maxhosa and Rich Mnisi, with a mix of other designers as a sign that he had made it.
Ntintili felt it important to tell the story with the character’s fashion.
“Zinhle (Sne Mbatha) is ghetto fabulous, the typical township girl with an amazing body who dresses well.”
When it comes to Ntombi, the inspiration was her body and whether she would be able to dance in the garments: “She’s very much a DIY girl, and she loves mixing and matching and customising her clothes and still looks fly.”
Ntintili wanted garments that made a statement and showcased where South Africa was socially, economically and politically. The wardrobe team did a stellar job.
However, let’s not forget the hairstylists and make-up artists who made sure that every hairstyle and make-up look matched the stunning outfits.
Simangele Nhlabathi, the key make-up artist, said creating the make-up looks was a creative effort as Ntintili, together with celebrity make-up artist, Clara Chimeloane, worked hard to ensure that the show becomes a success.
In terms of the hair, Isaac Letele, the key hairstylist, made sure he delivered when it came to showcasing African hairstyles.
Characters were in box braids, Bantu knots, ponytails, high buns and pom-poms, which are popular hairstyles among the natural hair community. Most women who own several wigs give them names. DJ Zinhle is an example because all the wigs she sells have African names.
There's a trend where many people are inspired by the style of their favourite characters, which is a sign that costume designers are more important to fashion than the runway, which is something Ntintili agrees with.
“There are no unrealistic bodies on TV shows, unlike on the ramp.
“When you look at the clothes on the ramp, you don’t see yourself in them. Those models are not built like ordinary South Africans. So, on TV shows, the actor’s body structure do tend to resemble us, ordinary people, and we get to relate to the fashion and how the characters wear the clothes.”
◆ Jiva is streaming on Netflix.
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