South African costume designer Sheli Masondo took the global stage at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, joining a panel of trailblazing creatives for More Than Capes: Costume Creates Character, presented by the International Society of Black Costume Designers (ISBCD). The panel brings together some of the most influential Black costume designers working today, including Antoinette Messam (The Harder They Fall), Gersha Phillips (Star Trek: Discovery), Charlese Antoinette (Children of Blood and Bone), Lauren Miller (SupaCell), and Masondo, who is one of the African representatives alongside other creatives.
“It’s a whirlwind of emotions at the moment, with excitement and nerves all at once,” Masondo beamed.
“I’m thrilled to be here at the event itself, Comic Con 2025 San Diego. It’s an honour to have my costume design work on Shaka iLembe recognised, and to be sharing a panel with internationally award-winning costume designers is incredibly special.”
Masondo arrives at Comic-Con fresh off her acclaimed work on Shaka iLembe, the sweeping South African historical drama that reimagines the rise of the Zulu nation. Her designs have become central to the series’ critical and cultural resonance. The richly textured costuming, crafted entirely on the continent, is a visual language all its own, carrying layers of meaning beyond the script.
“For Shaka iLembe, we used natural or organic materials closely associated with those used in the era of the story,” Masondo explains.
“Goat and Nguni hide, leather, wood, bone, horns, feathers, grass, tree bark, handwoven cotton, and brass. We sourced these from tanners in Pietermaritzburg and Krugersdorp, and handpicked our woods and grasses.”
Each costume element was intentionally selected to reflect cultural accuracy, a visual history rooted in local craftsmanship. Her work balances deep research with storytelling flair. “Since many characters’ clothing isn’t well documented in written or oral histories, we had to maintain traditional silhouettes and culturally relatable elements, while also taking creative liberties so the modern viewer could connect.”
Nowhere is this more evident than in the elaborate costuming of Queen Ntombazi in Season 2. Masondo drew on the character’s spiritual power, her ubuthakathi, to design garments that embodied both mysticism and menace.
“With every king she had killed, she used body parts to create costume pieces like the ribcage she wore in episode six.” The creation of these looks was no small feat. Masondo describes the immense labour that went into two of the most iconic garments on the show.
“Ntombazi’s Season 2 cape took three months to craft. Queen Nandi’s took five. That does not include the trial and error period, which involved a lot of sewing and unpicking.”
Costumes such as King Zwide kaLanga’s were collaborative achievements, often requiring multiple artisans to realize a single outfit.
“Three different crafters created his headgear alone, and four worked on his body gear,” Masondo says. Beyond materials and design, Masondo believes that great costuming facilitates transformation. “I must commend the actors. The trust they had in me and the process was remarkable. I remember Dawn Thandeka saying, ‘With every single layer you place on me, I feel the spirit of the character settling in.’”
These transformations were made possible by an integrated approach across departments. “There were always pieces of hair landing on the costume table so we could complete designs with beadwork,” she recalls. Masondo’s presence at Comic-Con is presented by the International Society of Black Costume Designers (@ISBCD24), an organisation committed to advancing the art and profession of costume design through film, television, and theatre. With over 100+ members across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Paris, South Africa, Senegal, and Jamaica, ISBCD fosters a community built on education, mentorship, and meaningful engagement.
Comic-Con International is more than a fan convention. Officially known as the San Diego Comic Convention, it is a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation devoted to increasing public awareness of comics and related art forms while celebrating their contribution to global culture.
At Comic-Con 2025, Sheli Masondo embodies a lineage of artistry, memory, and cultural reclamation. Through ISBCD, her work joins a global chorus of Black creatives who continue to shape the visual language of modern storytelling. To see some of Sheli Masondo’s beautifully crafted work, tune in to Shaka iLembe Season 2 every Sunday at 20:00 on Mzansi Magic, DStv channel 161. Catch the repeats on Fridays at 21:30 and on Saturdays at 20:00.