WATCH: OFIE fashion wear preserves culture

Langalakhe Mabena

Youthful poet-cum-fashion designer Nkosilesineke Khumalo has come up with a concept of designing a Ndebele collection of attires made using animal skins to create ethnic clothing for sale.

The cloth line operates under the collection name “Operation Faka Isintu Estayileni (OFIE)” a project on a mission to rejuvenate the Ndebele culture.

WATCH here: https://youtu.be/1kWaGEoFatQ

Speaking on the sidelines of chief Dakamela Achievers Awards held at Nkayi Matabeleland North on 5 and 6 April, Khumalo who is otherwise known as Nkosi OFIE or Nkosi yeMvunulo said that OFIE clothwear celebrates Ubuntu. Most of Ibutho that accompanied chief Dakamela wore the OFIE cloth line.

“What inspired me to start the OFIE cloth line was to reintroduce cultural wear to the current generation. Young people are running and shying away from our culture and heritage. They prefer glorifying western designs like Gucci, Amani, Nike, and Adidas. I then thought of introducing something that would retrace us back to our roots which led to the birth of OFIE.

“My designs are mostly traditional as we use cow and other animals’ hides to come up with traditional and contemporary designs. Some of the designs are made from nice-cloth but I fuse it with traditional elements to maintain our cultural flair,” said Nkosi OFIE.

The Bulawayo Cowdray Park-bred culturist said that young people were embracing the OFIE wear and he has since introduced a new collection of the brand.

“Last year on 25 May I introduced imvunulo entsha (new collection) made from ilala palm. Most of the designs from the ilala collection are hats, sling and hand bags. On this collection, I set down and thought of coming up with something unique – building it on top of what our ancestors used to wear.

“I just brought back most of the yesteryear ideas but I gave it a modern touch and feel so that it can appeal to the current generation fashion-wise. I displayed most of my craft here at the Dakamela Achievers Awards and people were buying our merchandise. My dream is to see our generation taking our culture seriously and embrace it by wearing our clothes that identify with us as the Ndebele people, because if we can’t celebrate, who we are then? Our heritage and history will be lost,” he said.