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Nhlalwenhle Ngwenya
TWO leading Zimbabwean designers took part in a fashion exhibition in Maputo from 1-10 December.
Nkanyeziyethu Malinga of Ganu Designs and Ishmael Dzakutsa based in Bulawayo and Harare respectively were among several fashion designers from Japan, Kenya, Angola, Botswana, Zambia and South Africa to exhibit their work in Maputo.
Malinga said the Mozambique fashion show was a diverse platform that Zimbabweans could benefit from.
a�?The Mozambique fashion week is a step in the right direction for African fashion. It is a platform for African designers to meet and mingle and possibly indirectly learn from each other. Apart from the African designers, we had designers from Europe and Asia, Portugal and Japan as well to balance the diversity scale,a�? she said.
Though Zimbabweans have a known fashion allegiance to other countries especially South Africa, Malinga said the fashion exhibition proved to her that Zimbabwe still had its own story to tell through fashion.
a�?We put the Zimbabwean story on a visual pallet as our collection included paintings, crotchet and traditional embroidery as we treasure the use of traditional knowledge in fashion and textiles,a�? she said.
Mozambique with its rich Portuguese culture offered an all-new environment for Zimbabweans who specialise in Pan African fashion designing to explore new markets.
a�?Zimbabwe fashion designers had a rich platform to penetrate countries like Angola and Brazil because there are few Portuguese speaking countries in Africa,a�? said Gilmore Tee who was one of the judges at the exhibition.
Advising fashion designers who aspire to exhibit quality work, Gilmore Tee said designers should be able to choose their fabric with the weather elements in mind.
a�?Southern African designers get carried away with the fabrics, we dona��t understand our climates and we dona��t understand where we come from. Thata��s why designers make heavy clothes which in most cases do not suit Zimbabwean weather,a�? he said.
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Online Reporter