Chronicle Editor
Simba Jemwa, Showbiz Correspondent
Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a fashion designer?Well now, you don’t have to.
With a phenomenal presence as a retailer for both menswear and womenswear, we were welcomed into the world of Sakhumuzi Allen Moyo, a leading fashion designer who founded DeJavu Apparel.
His life at work is everything you would expect it to be and more — he’s like a regular Joe next door, but with Hugo Boss skills! But nicer of course.
So, if you’re studying fashion or want to make waves in the industry, this is the boy that you should be looking up to and we have all the details that you’re dying to know.
Local clothing brand, Dejavu Apparel, a Bulawayo youth-led motivational local brand founded by a young entrepreneur continues to make waves while attracting more customers.
According to Moyo, he founded the brand while at the National University of Science and Technology where he was studying Property Development and Estate Management.
Moyo made his first foray into entrepreneurship and fashion design in 2017 and has never looked back.
“In 2017, Dejavu Apparel was created, primarily to feed these immense feelings I had for urban fashion coming from overseas,” explains Moyo who has no formal fashion design training at all.
“I was inspired by how streetwear brands abroad used provocative designs to interpret how they viewed society and also as a way of representing culture,” he explains adding that the inspiration worked well for him as it acted as a motivational tool for his academic achievements.
Interestingly, the young entrepreneur started the clothing line out of a love of fashion. As a student, Moyo excelled in his chosen course, but with an eye for the beautiful.
He does all the designing and has a team he works with on the tailoring end of the business.
“It was more of a creative reason why I entered into fashion, seeking me to explore my creative side rather than make a career out of it. Eventually, I wanted to bring something to the market.
And as I started to do it, I got more into the fashion side of it,” Moyo said.
After graduating from varsity, he contemplated looking for a job, but the fashion bug kept calling to him.
“But fashion designing was always nudging at me while I was thinking about whether to find a job or not. I found it difficult not to go to the fabric store,” he said.
“Then I thought, I can’t do this anymore. So, I just took a chance. And I plunged into fashion full time.”
He says the name of his label and the emotions it evokes, add a unique touch that complements his creativity as a fashion designer.
“Dejavu is a feeling of familiarity by definition. Familiarity with quality clothing infused with our minimalistic aesthetics. And this is what we aim to bring to the streetwear fashion industry,” he said.
Moyo thrives on simplicity and subtlety, his design and colour choices are highly driven by presenting simplicity in its most artistic form.
Today, Moyo and his team supply custom-designed female clothes including swimwear— creating products exclusively for each client.
His designs are influenced by communication simplicity as well as a provoking nostalgia coupled with a touch of historical flavour.
“Our designs are influenced by one of two factors: communicating simplicity in an artistic form and provoking a nostalgic feeling about the legends that lived before us.
For example, we have what we call the JM Nkomo Collection being an example which is inspired by the late Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo,” the talented 26-year-old said.
Asked about local artists who have worked with him or endorsed his work, Moyo said: “We haven’t collaborated with any artists yet, but locally we are strongly affiliated with Indigo Saint, Nitefreak, and the Rebellious Suhnz to mention a few.
Internationally we’ve had the honour of gifting South African rapper, KidX with one of our t-shirts which he loved.
“We also haven’t opened a shop as of yet so we are a delivery-based business model.”
– @RealSimbaJemwa.
Online Reporter