malvernmugadzikwa
Tendai Rupapa
Senior Reporter
FIRST Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa was honoured at the recently held World Fashion Exhibition/World Fashion Week in China for her hard work and unwavering dedication in uplifting the lives of the underprivileged, especially women and children.
World Fashion Exhibition/World Fashion Week is an organisation whose aim is to make global fashion sustainable and use the platform for the advancement of communities in supporting and promoting women and ending hunger and preventable child mortality.
The mother of the nation, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, was among world-acclaimed philanthropists who were recognised by the organisers.
This came as local fashion designers who took part at the event, which ran from September 27 to 30 in Shanghai, China, paid glowing tribute to the First Lady for supporting them.
The exhibition is not a competition but a platform where designers show their talent in sustainable fashion, get themselves known and attract the attention of the world fashion industry.
Some of those in attendance were government officials, captains of industry, international celebrities and film producers.
Twenty-five countries participated from across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America.
Zimbabwe was represented by Ivhu Tribe, who presented a collection that was both innovative and creative, showcasing Zimbabwean culture and tradition.
Ivhu Tribe’s masterpiece “The Marina Wevhu”, popularly known as the hosho dress, left the audience in awe.
It was graciously made with the assistance of the First Lady and was adorned by Zimbabwean model Charlotte Muziri, who is a former Miss Zimbabwe Queen and Miss International Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabwe representative for World Fashion Exhibition/World Fashion Week, Paxina Kalulu, says WFE is a great platform for Zimbabwean creatives to be recognised on the international fashion scene.
“How this all started was a request from World Fashion Exhibition to bring this event to this country to be able to showcase the event at the Victoria Falls. We shared the news with Her Excellency, the First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa.
“Amai’s philosophy and the WFE philosophy are the same in terms of looking after communities, because what World Fashion Exhibition looks at is fashion as a platform to address and bring awareness to certain issues in communities, such as child mortality, ending hunger and women’s projects; to be able to help them in their everyday living. These issues are close to the First Lady’s heart,” she said.
The First Lady, Ms Kalulu said, supported the team right from the start.
“She has supported us and given us moral support and pushed us up to a point where we did partake in the World Fashion Exhibition event in Shanghai, China, which happened recently from the 27 to the 30th of September. The designer was Ivhu Tribe.
“How Ivhu Tribe was selected was because all interested designers were asked to produce and present books, which they did, and we had the help and input of the two fashion councils.
“From there, we looked at the sustainability in terms of the material that was used in those designs and the look books, and Ivhu Tribe stood out to be the one that would most probably represent in this particular instance,” she said.
“We really want to thank the First Lady for her support; she has been with us right from the beginning, and we really look forward to bigger things to come because this is a platform not only for one designer but for all designers and creatives, because this is the support that everybody needs and to be encouraged, and there is so much talent in this country not only in terms of garments but also in terms of other arts and crafts.”
Jasper Mandizera said Ivhu Tribe was not a person but a tribe.
“In a tribe, you find many cultures where people do different things. It is more like we represent different cultures in Zimbabwe. Ivhu Tribe means the soil . . . like son of the soil. Ivhu represents every Zimbabwean; that is why we chose the name Ivhu Tribe. I am thankful for the support we received from the First Lady. She supported us so well throughout,” he said.
“It’s an honour for me because I was selected to represent Zimbabwe in China, and I learnt a lot, and we need to teach other designers what everything represents.
“I wasn’t representing myself alone, but all the designers. In terms of our culture, I think we did great because people remarked that they had never seen such things before. It was hard sometimes to come up with the designs we wanted because when making a garment, you have to explain as to whatever pieces will be representing and we managed to come up with something.
“Our dress is called Marina Wevhu, meaning from the sea and off the soil, so it was from the sea to the soil coming together, so we have these kind of trees, environment, you name it. This is where we took off the theme of the dress since we were focusing on eco-sustainability, eco-environment and recycling.”
The Marina Wevhu symbolises the significance and natural relationship of water and earth to life.
The elements give birth to wonders in the same manner in which a mother gives birth to a child.
The glorious piece was made out of luminous stones that glow in the dark, serving as a symbol of radiance.
It was also embellished in cowry shells, a symbol of womanhood, fertility, birth and wealth, in order to communicate that “a woman is a jewel”.
The masterpiece was tailored in Jute, popularly known as sackcloth, which in this ground-breaking moment symbolises the strength of a Zimbabwean woman.
Like the cloth, she is gifted with endurance and unwavering tolerance.
Both the designer Ivhu Tribe and the model Charlotte Muziri attracted the attention of many, including the world-renowned portrait and celebrity fashion photographer Robbie Merrit, as well as movie and Netflix producer Steve Chicorel and well-known actress and film producer Carla Ortiz.
Online Reporter