FASHION Sham Tyra: Taking Fashion Back To Its Roots

SHAM TYRA

Taking Fashion Back To Its Roots

The effects of the Covid19 pandemic on the fashion industry are beginning to take shape, and for the most part, we are grateful. According to a McKinsey survey, demand for sustainable fashion has grown significantly and in Ugandan, designer Sham Tyra Nalwanga has listened and is changing the focus of her business.

Nalwanga, who is popular for her eponymous label Sham Tyra, has been thinking about how to be more sustainable owing to the shifting market demands.

“We went through a tough phase and everyone - designers and consumers, had many lessons to learn from it,” she tells me. “Now, we are trying to rethink our practices, materials and the general outlook of the business.”

One of the ways she’s doing things differently is by sourcing most of her fabrics within Uganda and East Africa rather than Europe and Asia. This is because, during the lockdown, designers had a big lesson to learn – to source locally or be put out of business, since Europe and Asia were inaccessible. Surprisingly, one of her favourite fabrics at the moment is barkcloth. For a brand that’s renowned for its ‘luxe galore’, barkcloth is the last thing you would expect to find in their atelier.

“Uganda has long suffered an identity crisis. We don’t have a fabric we can call our own, one that people in other jurisdictions can use and credit to us,” she explains. Indeed, when enlisting African countries with signature fabrics, Uganda is always left out. Cameroon shines with their hand-woven ‘Bamuth’, Madagascar with the sumptuous ‘Lamba Mwena’, Mali with ‘Bokolonfini’ and Ghana with ‘Kente’ geometric prints, arguably the most popular fabric from Africa.

The use of barkcloth to create clothing dates back to 12th Century Buganda when Kabaka Kimera was king. At the time, the fabric was only used to create clothing for the royal family. During the 18th Century, the use and demand for barkcloth boomed after Kabaka Ssemakookiro, the then reigning monarch, mandated all his subjects to produce barkcloth, sparking a boost to the economy. However, this growth plummeted later when Buganda became a British colony, as the use of imported textiles became more encouraged.

“The use of barkcloth has long been associated with royalty. However, the fact that it was used during traditional ceremonies such as funerals clouded its impression, which is why it is now associated with witchcraft and evil,” explains Princess Joan Tebatagwabwe Nassolo, daughter to the reigning Kabaka of Buganda, HRH Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, and Nalwanga’s muse on the project.

“Its making is said to date back to about 600 years. It is believed that people from the Ngonge (Otter) clan were the ones who started making it,” she tells me as we sit in front of the Twekobe, the official residence of the Kabaka within his palace.

Barkcloth is made from the fig tree, (Ficus Natalensis or Natal Fig) locally known as Mutuba. Traditionally, craftsmen of the Ngonge clan, headed by a Kaboggoza, the hereditary chief craftsman, manufacture barkcloth for the Buganda royal family and the rest of the community. Its preparation involves one of humankind’s oldest savoir-faire. The inner bark of the tree is harvested during the wet season, and, in a long and strenuous

“I AM PROUD OF WHERE I COME FROM AND WOULD WANT TO SHOW IT OFF... ,” SAYS PRINCESS NASSOLO OF BUGANDA, SEEN HERE POSING AGAINST PARTS OF HER GRANDFATHER SIR EDWARD MUTESA II’S BROKEN VINTAGE CAR PARTS.

process, beaten with different types of wooden mallets to give it a soft and fine texture and an even terracotta colour. The cloth is mainly worn at traditional events such as coronation and healing ceremonies, funerals, and other cultural gatherings. Due to its longevity, it was a preserve of royalty and the king’s subjects.

Barkcloth is also a very ethical fabric. “Its production does not require cutting down trees, and it does not need lots of water to last,” Nalwanga explains. In 2005, the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) named Uganda’s barkcloth as part of the world’s collective heritage, declaring the art of barkcloth-making ‘a masterpiece of oral and intangible heritage of humanity’.

As she championed the use of this revered fabric, Nalwanga partnered with Princess Nassolo on a special one-of-akind look that she custom-designed for her. The royal, who is passionate about the promotion of local Buganda culture, wears the look in photos accompanying this story.

“I love this piece!” she gushes. “Not only is it a fun look, but I also love the blend of traditional and modern fabrics on it. I feel like this is something you could end up seeing on runways in Paris or red carpets in LA. I would most definitely wear it to a black-tie event such as a gala. I hope to see pieces such as this more often,” she tells me.

To create the look, Nalwanga mixed taffeta fabric with barkcloth, playing with cut-out patterns that run along the waist down to the skirt. She did the same using barkcloth to finish the hemlines on the sleeves and completed the look with sparkly embroidery running along the bust and sleeves. However, according to her, working with barkcloth is no easy feat.

“I completely understand why many designers shun it. It’s rough and hard. But, this is also why I’m a huge fan of it. I always gravitate toward things that are complicated to work with. They push me to my limits. For this particular design, I only worked with cutouts. You can take so many other directions with it; either mixing with other fabrics or working with it solely,” she explains.

The use of Ugandan barkcloth in modern fashion is anything but new. London-based Ugandan designer Josè Hendo has built her eponymous brand around the fabric, recording so much success.

“It’s about time we took ownership of our fabrics to promote our culture, fashion and style. We have grown accustomed to fabrics from everywhere else. There is no problem with that, but why can’t we bring our own to the same level? Barkcloth is part of our culture and identity, let us not shy away from promoting it and doing it with pride,” Princess Nassolo enthuses.

“I am proud of where I come from and would want to show it off. Our people have always been innovative and far-sighted, long before the arrival of traders and explorers,” she adds, whilst posing against parts of her grandfather Sir Edward Mutesa II’s broken vintage car parts; a Daimler roof, Cadillac bed, and Rolls Royce wheels.

Nalwanga plans to produce a full collection showcasing more modern takes on barkcloth, and Ugandans will be responsive.

“I see a lot of West Africans looking elegant in their local fabrics while attending high-heeled events. It’s high time we picked some cues and embraced our own too,” she concludes.

Nalwanga has built quite a following and clientele around her couture fashion line, Sham Tyra. Her creations are described by many as extraordinary, daring and alluring.

Photos: Vic Media Photography Hair: Mbajja Sean Makeup: Mona Face