Nomzamo Mbatha's Queen Nandi is here!
The Shaka iLembe premiere in Montecasino, Johannesburg, saw a regal red-carpet affair with Nomzamo closing it off in a standout gold look, courtesy of the creative director Felipe Mazibuko and House of Ayi designer Andile Makaula.
Nomzamo’s much-anticipated appearance on the red carpet was a sight to behold.
She arrived in a gold rouched form-fitting gown with an intricate metal breast plate and a shawl to match by Willet Couture Designs.
The actress takes on the role of Queen Nandi, the mother of Shaka Zulu in the show, while also wearing the hat of executive producer for the series.
READ MORE | Nomzamo Mbatha will make her producing debut with Shaka Ilembe - here's a peek into the show
Shaka iLembe has been a work in progress for a few years, so the premiere wasn't going to be anything less than spectacular.
Telling us a bit about her outfit, Nomzamo shares, “I really wanted to create something that was going to merge two worlds and I love playing with different fabrics and metals so I’m happy we were able to do this.”
@truelovemagazine At the premiere of Shaka iLembe, Nomzamo Mbatha dripped in gold wearing a gown by Cape-Town designer House of Ayi. The look was topped off with an #isicholo (Zulu hat)-inspired headpiece. Playing #QueenNandi and executive producing the show, Nomzamo tells us more about her look. #nomzamombatha #shakailembe2023 #shakailembemzansi #zulu #safashiondesigner #safashion ? original sound - truelovemagazine
Draped in a one-of-a-kind metallic gown topped with gold breast plates by Cape Town-based House of Ayi, Nomzamo looked like a queen.
Speaking to TRUELOVE, Andile says the reimagining of the Zulu queen brought to life in the modern world was a unique experience.
“Inspired by Queen Nandi herself, [it] is actually a moment where we bring her back to life and we kind of bring her to the red carpet. So, we’re reintroducing her to the world, right, and it would be amazing if we can actually take this image and carry it on into the future. I mean, who knows what other stories could come out of it,” he shares.
Andile reveals how his love for fashion began in his hometown, Gqeberha - previously Port Elizabeth - where his mother had him fix up his own school uniform and hem his pants himself.
“My interest into couture came from my childhood. My mom would usually make me hem my own school pants because they were never the same length as my legs.”
At 19, the young designer travelled to Cape Town in 2017 to pursue a career in design at the Cape Pensinsula University of Technology, where he got his foot into the door interning for Lorne Jewellery and mentored by owner and designer Gillian Lawrence.
READ MORE | 5 minutes with Haute Afrika founder - 'African clothing isn't just for special occasions'
Revealing how he got the opportunity to design for Nomzamo, Andile says, “Nomzamo saw one of my dresses on Instagram – well, there’s a red dress with bra plates that I just made nje for fun and she saw it and she said she wanted something like that and, today, we came up with that.”
With such a high caliber celebrity client on his roster, it seems there may be much more to see from the young designer and even more regality to enjoy from Nomzamo as she brings to life Queen Nandi on Shaka iLembe.
