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Arts Reporter
Fashion creative and leather specialist Nompumelelo Marilyn Samambgwa has raised the country flag high in terms of fashion and lifestyle as she recently won the National Achievement Award and the People’s Choice Award, at the Real Leather Stay Different competition held in Mombasa, Kenya.
The competition was for students and recent graduate designers who work with leather from around the world.
It was the first time for Zimbabwe, let alone Africa, to participate in such a competition as usually it attracts mostly participants from the United Kingdom, Nordic region, China and, the Philippines among others.
Three categories were footwear, apparel, and accessories.
In an interview with The Herald Arts, Samambwga said it was a dream come true for her as she ended 2023 in style, walking away with top gongs at the competition.
“I bagged the National Achievement Award as well as the People’s Choice Award,” she said.
“I got to know about the competition through one of the Leather Institute of Zimbabwe’s board members, Fungai Zvinondiramba, who motivated me to take part in the competition and officially brought me to the footwear designing and production game.”
Samambgwa said after a long hiatus from fashion, winning the awards affirmed her dream of becoming a capable, visible, and respected force in the sector.
“I had been solely designing clothing professionally since 2013 and I always had prospects of branching into footwear.”
“In 2015 I took part in a fashion show at HIFA which was coined Metamorphosis, it then that I made my first upcycled pair of shoes from a less informed and trained perspective.”
“After that, I started redesigning the shoes I already had. In 2019 I enrolled, with South Africa’s Style Architects College, for training in footwear designing and pattern making,” she explained.
“In 2020 Covid-19 pandemic hit and I failed to travel to South Africa to finish off footwear production training. Unfortunately, during that period, I got terminally ill and was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Failure which set me back by miles because my body didn’t function as before. In 2021 I dusted myself up and drove myself to Bulawayo to enrol for a leather technology course at the Leather Institute of Zimbabwe. I only managed to finish one semester because of my health challenges.”
The fashion designer said looking at the local fashion industry, there is a lot to be done.
“Despite professionally pursuing fashion in early 2010, I had been involved in the sector since around 2008,” she said.
“Between then and now I have witnessed the most colourful growth in our industry from street fashion to high-end fashion. We may be competing with fast fashion and second-hand clothing markets but locals are increasingly adopting wearing local and increasing confidence in our local tailors and designers.”
Samambgwa said: “In as much as there’s been some growth we still have leaps and bounds to go. Fashion creatives need to be more united, adopt the spirit of collaboration, and refrain from gate-keeping if we’re to grow as a collective. We also need the Government, specifically the Ministry of Sports, Arts and, Recreation, to back the fashion sector, through the registered councils.”
She said that fashion plays a major role in all performing arts and should also be recognized in the arts awards.
However, she said her biggest challenge is her health.
“I am not able to work full time and have not yet grown enough to hire full-time helpers. I have also been set back by the limited supplies and variety of production materials, aside from leather, locally.”
Asked what’s in store for 2024, Samambgwa said a lot is happening.
“In 2024, I intend to adequately equip my studio and start a full-blown production project and if the universe permits I’ll be hosting a solo exhibition in the last quarter of the year.”
Online Reporter