Julia Mbongo’s Raffia Wedding Dress & Cloak Is a Love Letter to Her African Heritage

Can we speech astir however African brides are perfectly serving looks lately? They’re saying “thanks, but nary thanks” to accepted achromatic wedding gowns and going full-throttle with African manner that’s got america each successful our feelings. The designers creating these pieces? Chef’s buss due to the fact that they are not playing around.

Meet Julia Mbongo, a Congolese bride who virtually wore her bosom and her heritage, connected her wedding day. She created a look that was portion manner moment, portion household reunion, portion taste celebration, and 100 percent iconic.

Her basal look is simply a  stunning raffia ensemble (stay with us, this gets good) with a strapless corseted apical and matching skirt, some wholly covered successful golden sequins and cowries. Add immoderate strappy golden heels and connection jewellry, and you’ve got luxury that really means something.

But wait—there’s more! The existent showstopper was this unthinkable hand-painted cloak she wore implicit everything. We’re talking astir a wearable masterpiece featuring portraits of her precocious dada and her husband’s precocious parents, surrounded by the astir beauteous achromatic doves, each rendered successful gorgeous aureate and pick tones. Honestly, we weren’t acceptable for the affectional impact.

Julia’s mentation for her choices had america reaching for tissues:

My formal is simply a story, acold much than a garment, it’s my heritage. Raffia, an authentic fibre of Africa, has been passing done our traditions for centuries. Unlike wax, which came from elsewhere, raffia carries successful it the representation of our lands, the enactment of our ancestors and the information of our roots. It is the tegument of our forests, the ineffable thread that connects quality to man.

Former currency, the cowries punctual america that our radical already knew wealthiness and prosperity earlier others imposed their eyes connected us. They are besides fertility, extortion and clairvoyance.

But the crown of this masterpiece: the portraits of our mislaid parents. May their soundless blessing travel this union.

Wearing this formal is walking with dignity. It is to marque each measurement an offering successful representation and a supplication for tomorrow.

Julia joined Omar Denis Junior Bongo, lad of the precocious erstwhile Gabonese president Omar Bongo and Edith Bongo, and her wedding look is the cleanable illustration of however modern brides are making their peculiar time astir truthful overmuch much than conscionable looking pretty. This is manner with purpose, practice with glamour, and household with style.