The Frill Kimono: A Love Letter to Cape Malay Colour, Culture, and Celebration
At Sari for Change, fashion is never just fashion - it is memory, movement, and meaning woven into every thread. Our Frill Kimono, lovingly upcycled from opulent Banarasi saris, is a celebration of heritage and self-expression, inspired by the rich vibrancy of Cape Malay culture in Cape Town.
Crafted from saris adorned with gilded threadwork, silver embroidery, and silk organza, each kimono carries a sense of history and splendour. Yet it is the dramatic frills, playful volume, and fearless mix of textures that echo the joyful spirit of the Cape Malay community-where beauty is layered, expressive, and deeply lived.
Inspired by the Klopse and Tweede Nuwe Jaar
Every year on 2 January, the streets of Cape Town come alive with the magic of Tweede Nuwe Jaar - also known as the Second New Year. It is a day of music, procession, colour, and pride, where the famous Klopse troupes parade in satin suits, bright umbrellas, sequins, hats, and joyful performance.
Born from histories of resilience and celebration, Tweede Nuwe Jaar is one of the most powerful expressions of Cape cultural identity. It transforms the city into a stage of remembrance and joy.
Our Frill Kimono captures this same energy. The flowing frills mirror movement in the parade. Jewel tones and metallic threads reflect the exuberance of Klopse costumes. The theatrical silhouette honours a culture that has always understood the beauty of showing up boldly.
Threads of Spirit: A Sufi Influence
Cape Malay culture has long been shaped by the spiritual traditions of Sufism, where beauty, devotion, and movement are forms of remembrance. This influence is echoed in the Frill Kimono itself.
As the garment opens and circles around the body, its fluid silhouette recalls the motion of a whirling dervish - graceful, rhythmic, and transcendent. The cascading frills create movement with every step, transforming dressing into something expressive and almost meditative.
For founder Rayana Edwards, this story is deeply personal. Raised within Cape Malay culture, and now witnessing these traditions through the eyes of her daughter Iman Ganijee, she grew up surrounded by a beautiful fusion of identities, spirituality meets celebration, and heritage is constantly reimagined.
The Medora, Lace, and Joyful Kitsch
Cape Malay style has always embraced elegance with personality. It is in the treasured details passed through generations: the softness of lace, ornate trims, polished dressing, heirloom accessories, and garments worn with pride.
There is also the glamour of the medora - those beloved finishing touches of occasion dressing, where style becomes ceremony and presentation becomes art. It is a sensibility rooted in care, femininity, and celebration.
The Frill Kimono channels this spirit through a fearless fusion of textures.
Think delicate lace against structured brocade. Silk organza layered with metallic weaving. Romantic frills beside strong tailoring. A touch of kitsch - nostalgic, playful, expressive - balanced by refined craftsmanship.
This contrast between opulence and ease, sentiment and drama, is what makes the garment feel alive.
A Fusion of Colour and Identity
Colour has always been language. In Cape Malay culture, colour speaks of joy, community, memory, and resistance. It brightens streets, homes, celebrations, and clothing.
Our Frill Kimono embraces this fearless palette - ruby, saffron, emerald, fuchsia, gold, cobalt. Like the vibrant homes of Bo-Kaap, each piece is unapologetically bold and entirely unique.
No two are ever the same - just like the women who wear them.
A Call to Your Roots
Wearing a Frill Kimono is more than dressing beautifully - it is claiming space, honouring lineage, and embracing every layer of who you are.
It is for the woman who loves glamour and meaning.
It is for the woman who treasures heritage but lives boldly in the present.
It is for the woman who understands that elegance can also be joyful.
The Frill Kimono is our tribute to Cape Malay celebration, feminine power, and the beauty of cultures in conversation.
Wear colour. Wear movement. Wear memory.
