Zimbabwe: Winter Fashion, Zimbabwean Designers embrace local market
By Novell Zwange – There is a fashion spectacle this winter season as Zimbabwean designers are competing fairly against open markets.
trippletee shoes
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Despite lack of financial support and commercial backing, the local fashion designers continue to thrive amid a cocktail of challenges and difficulties facing the industry.
Tripple Tee Footwear a leading footwear designer and manufacturer which produces a wide range of boots and shoes under its popular brands has witnessed a sales growth in the past few years .
Vongai Brenda Gogwe-Sibanda
“As the economy of the country steadily improves, we are seeing the vast potential for industrial development for our products in Zimbabwe,” said Israel Mhonde, the company’s Sales & Marketing Executive.
The footwear designers said their sales continue to sour this winter season and that they are embarking on a policy of diversification and expansion of their range of products.
Edith Weutonga
“Due to the appreciation and demand for our products we have set priorites for both the local and regional markets,” said Mhonde.
A new fashion entrant Utonga Collection by musician Edith Katiji weUtonga which made its maiden appearance at the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) this year, had its winter collection sold out.
“Fashionable tees are the in thing this season, our entire collection sold out at HIFA, and due to an increased demand of our products we have a full range of both kids and adult-wear coming by the end of July. Our limited collection will be in different shades and sizes” said Elton Mjanana, Utonga Collection’s brand manager.
“There was a huge complaint that we had no kids t-shirts but this winter we have made a commitment to attend to that demand. Fashion design is a lucrative business, coming from a music and theatre background we were surprised at the response by the local market.”
Mjanana said that Utonga Collection has engaged the services of South Africa-based graphic art designer Baynham Goredema for its latest collection to be available next month.
“The good sales we enjoyed here at home gave a confidence boost to our passion for designing stylish Zimbabwean clothing.”
Harare-based fashionista Vongai Brenda Gogwe-Sibanda said Zimbabwean design industry has made impressive strides over the past few years and is showing good signs of recovery.
She said this winter for the local designers to meet the fashion demands of the modern day they should mix modesty, style and a little sparkle of quality on their work.
“I think we are somewhere in the middle because we haven’t made a transition from creation to commercial. The quality of the finish, fabrics and the amount of stuff that is coming from China is making it difficult for young designers to make a breakthrough,” said Gogwe-Sibanda, a Studio Textiles graduate from the Royal Melbourne Institute Of Technology.
Gogwe-Sibanada said that designers can grow their fashion brands by going ‘local’. “As we continue to encourage creativity and innovation particularly this winter, designers should work with local textile printers. Design begins with the textile, it is the medium to express the mood of the season.”
