There is a saying that goes: “Give people their flowers while they can still smell them.” And that’s what Aranda Textiles did on its 70th anniversary.
The textile brand honoured Her Majesty Queen, Sekhothali Mabhena, with an Umbhalo blanket.
Umbhalo is a traditional Ndebele blanket, and as a Mosotho Princess now married to King Makhosoke II Mabhena, Queen Mabhena was commissioned to design a blanket she liked.
She was introduced to the idea by Ndebele cultural influencer, Prince Thulani Gatsha Mrhetjha.
Her Majesty wanted the blanket to acknowledge both her roots and her current role as wife to the King.
“Women occupy an important cultural role. As I originally hail from the Kingdom of Lesotho, it was important to me to merge the Basotho and Ndebele cultures in the blanket,” says Queen Mabhena.
Titled Indlovukazi (meaning queen), the blanket consists of bright Ndebele colours such as yellow, blue and green. Woven on the sides are the Basotho motifs - the classic Basotho hat, horse, corn and the Basotho shield with its distinctive shape.
Launching the blanket and asking the queen to design it was a clever idea from Aranda because it is no secret that blankets are a big part of the Basotho and Ndebele cultures.
Both Basotho and Ndebele people have unique blankets as part of their traditional attires.
“The brief from Her Majesty was that the overall design of the Indlovukazi blanket was to be influenced by the Ndebele culture with a nod to the Basotho culture, but other than that, she gave us carte blanche with the creative process.
“We are immensely proud to launch the Indlovukazi blanket. It is an honour and a privilege to be entrusted with such a significant project,” says Kerri Poolman, head of Product Development at Aranda Textiles.
The Indlovukazi blanket was recently unveiled at the Royal House in KwaNdebele in Mpumalanga.