Zimbabwe Fashion Week 2014 Day 3 – ST Favourites

What a spectacle Zimbabwe Fashion Week 2014 was, although yours truly only managed to attend Day 3; there was a lot of buzz and social media engagement to keep anyone informed and at the edge of their seats! From the onset of the ZFW Cocktail party to the Zimbabwe Fashion Awards, every hour of ZFW was documented by avid fashion lovers. So if you missed out, don’t worry just follow #ZFW2014 and @ZFW_Official and you are opened to a portal of Zim’s exciting Fashion Week.

Now with all of the events that were taking place this past weekend (SADC Fashion Week, Fashion Collective Market ZW and Shoko Festival) – ZFW managed to draw in a very strong crowd of loyal fashion lovers and followers who opted to attend every single event from Day 1. Myself however, was found attending Day 3 with my mind ready to be blown away (and blown away it was!). Not only was it a packed hall but the designers brought out their best work, and every show started on time and on point. The schedule for that evening included the following in their timely order:

Chizo by Chisoma Lombe

Moi Amara Couture by Jenika

Zimbabwe Designer Galleria – (Anaia Fashions, Smataz and Haus of Stone)

Faithwear

Taf the Taylor

Zargue’ Sia by Ishmael Tsakatsa

Afrikanus by Rui Lopes

Raaah by Rahima Mohamed

Shirt and Co

Thula Sindi by Thula Sindi

Out of all of the lovely designers, we fell in love with three (3) particular designers who gave us flowing feminine silhouettes, figure hugging contemporary pieces, a new form of appreciation for print and a beautiful colour palette to suit a fashion forward closet; Afrikanus by Rui Lopes, Raaah by Rahima Mohamed and Thula Sindi.

Afrikanus

Afrikanus was by Angolan designer Rui Lopes who showed a stunning 9 piece collection that infused Western fashion with African detailing. African detail in Rui’s designs were found in his incorporation of print – with print detail in two white sheer dresses and a Java print one shoulder shift dress. Afrikanus’ collection gave a nod to the growing international trend of African Fashion on blogs and social media but with a texture of Western characteristics, particularly in the silhouette.

Flirty and cute, with a touch of print and pleated skirt.

Biggest trend on African blogs and social media is Dashiki and Java print, and Afrikanus brought it to us on the runway.

Print detail added to the empire waist and broad collar.

Designer Rui Lopes in his two defining pieces on the runway.

Raaah

Raaah is a label by a Zimbabwean based in the UK. Her collection gave us bold, structured shoulders, a modern and chic take on a women’s safari suit and a flowing but loose asymmetrical dress which had a pop of colour that caught our eye! Rahima’s collection was dubbed the “Fly High Collection” in her look book, and this was her first showing at ZFW 2014 with a very well received applause from the audience. On a personal note, I lusted after every piece in the collection without a doubt of already having events planned in my mind as to where I can rock a Raaah dress or the Mirabelle maxi skirt in a deep plum colour – lusting after this polished label.

Those bold and structured shoulders on a white one piece bodysuit.

 

Modern take on a women's Safari suit called the Heather suit.

Once again, those broad structured shoulders on a shift dress.

Loved the colour and the asymmetrical flow of the Loosen up dress.

Thula Sindi

Special guest of the evening and closing designer on Day 3 was South Africa’s very own Thula Sindi, sponsored by the Cape Town Fashion Council, brought his 27 piece collection to Zimbabwe’s shores. Thula Sindi is a world renowned designer, whose work is not new to any runway, except for Zimbabwe of course. Every piece in Thula’s collection was form fitting, articulate and had an aura of high fashion coming down the runway – there was a piece for every different personality of a woman. From a monochrome giraffe print dress to a bright pink stunner, to short shorts and a maxi long navy blue dress with sequins. Our favourite was a black empire waisted dress made out of lace which was worn by model Tholakele Dlamini.

Our Favourite piece from Thula Sindi

So, with all that encompassed Zimbabwe Fashion Week 2014, this was ST’s favourites which of course gave you an insight of what went down on Day 3 of the event. Although these three designers caught our attention, we still give kudos to all of the designers for their immaculate work and bringing their talent to our attention. And a big round of applause to Priscilla Chigariro and her ZFW Team for producing a smooth show without a single hitch.

All the same I wish to thank everyone who nominated Signature Toscie in the category of Blogger of the year, alongside Zim Fashionista, Zim Fashion Diary and Kicking It with Mimi. Means the world that you guys read ST and my personal fashion adventures. So I thank you!

Stay Gorgeous,

Tendai Sophia

*All photos courtesy of SDR Photo*

What to Wear to Zim’s Busy Fashion Week?

Zimbabwe’s busy fashion week runs from 20-28 September 2014, and social media is already a buzz with programmes, ticket prices and headlining shows. Fashionistas are getting excited and planning their calendar with what to wear and designers are busy wrapping up final touches to their garments and collections. Since New York Fashion Week 2014 was at the realm of the Fashion World in the past few weeks; with street style bloggers, magazines, trends, fashionistas accompanied by massive instagramming! It’s only natural to seek some inspiration from the World’s biggest fashion show and fashion party, to bring a little taste back home. We have run down top 4 trends to copy from New York Fashion Week (#NYFW) and bring them back home to Zim’s busy Fashion Week. These trends are simple, straightforward and good for your pocket. Fashion Week is essentially about expressing your style at an arena that combines all that exudes fashion lovers, designers, the creative, models and magazines. So make some new fashion rules and give a twist to the old ones!

Channel an Androgynous look a la J Crew

J Crew is a well-known fast fashion retail store in the USA that has affordable and ready to wear clothing for the modern trendy woman, BUT on a budget. This year’s Spring/Summer 2015 collection was a particular favourite because it was super cool, non-fussy and can be borrowed from your boyfriend (Gents included). J Crew’s collection was primarily based on casual clothing, with a new twist in boyfriend jeans, slouchy denim and quirky embellishments on a mini dress. How would you channel J Crew’s look in Zim Fashion you may ask? Take an old pair of denims and switch it up in court heels instead of flats or wear a normal office pencil skirt but with a graphic tee shirt and high heels. Embellishments are your sequins which are usually placed on glam-y evening gowns and cocktail dresses; J Crew gave them a twist by placing sequins on a casual shift dress that has pockets to match! So if you have a simple shift dress tucked away, then this is the time to upgrade it by adding your own sparkle with sequins and shiny buttons. PS – you can DIY this at home or get a very creative tailor to help you.

Do Ladylike like Diane Von Furstenberg and Stella Nolasco!

DVF is the epitome of fabulous women’s fashion with modern silhouettes to complement her recent S/S 2015 RTW collection. The biggest trend she gave us was Gingham, her signature wrap dresses in modern patterns and a lot of black and white. What the blog personally loved about DVF’s latest collection is the incorporation of gingham in her clothing. Gingham is a boxed design on material, usually found on kitchen towels and table mats (double check the cutlery when you walk into a home/kitchenware store). Stella Nolasco on the other hand was super feminine with much longer silhouettes in maxi dresses and light summer colours, which included whites, pink and blues. A personal blog favourite from Stella was a white maxi dress with leaf detail on the bust. How should you be inspired by DVF and Stella Nolasco’s collection for Zim’s FW? Wear WHITE or a lovely wrap dress to emulate DVF’S signature work. If maxis are your thing then go for it a la Stella Nolasco, because Fashion is really not limited when it comes to Fashion Week.

                      

Stella Nolasco's uber feminine collection, with long lengths and a wavy texture. Be inspired to accentuate your soft colours and florals for a feminine look this Zim fashion week.

                                      

Take it to the Streets and RUN WITH IT!

What’s fashion week without street fashion and street style bloggers right? Although Zim Fashion hasn’t fully bloomed in that sector yet, it’s still a great area of fashion to sought inspiration from since it could be your typical everyday look but with a quirky twist. Street style bloggers dress outside the norm and outside the box, so if you are a creative and bold character then bring out your best and loud looks to the streets of Zim’s Fashionable week.

Prints are a big trend and a wardrobe staple for any chic fashionista! Whether African, graphic, tie-dye or aztec - prints are here to stay.

If you are big on trends, then the thigh high slit is something you might wanna consider this busy fashion week. Get heads turning in a sassy thigh high slit dress or maxi skirt.

           

A clean quirkiness with the fringe blouse and bowler hat. And a fresh clean, ladylike finish on street fashion.

Play it safe with BLACK

Black is a timeless colour that works with just about anything. If you prefer a more demure but yet still chic-sophisticated route, then black is the safest bet for any ensemble. Take a black ensemble and wear it with brighter accessories; such as a gold clutch, red heels or a neon choker. Black looks to keep you stylish can be a little black dress with red heels OR head to toe black in black pants, black top and a sleek black blazer with a classy bun to finish.

      

Black is simple, chic and versatile. Perfect for both day and night, all you have to do is switch up your accessories.

Fashion Week only comes around once a year, and with this year’s edition is jam packed with several events, which could feel a bit daunting and overwhelming with the variety of show times, ticket prices and transport. With a line-up of shows to choose from, it is wise to plan, co-ordinate and budget your transport, show times, tickets and outfits – you don’t want to be caught wearing the same thing twice AND you don’t want to end up stranded at a midnight show so PLANNING is off the essence.

*Check out Tweet-A-Cab Harare for all your transportation needs, from one venue to the next or if you need an alternative route to travel back home safely!*

*Keep in mind that MOST of the shows are scheduled in the evening from 6pm and onwards, Fashion Collective Zimbabwe runs from 11am to 5.30pm*

 All the same, have fun, note down and share the best of what #ZimFashion has to offer on your Instagram!

Stay Gorgeous!

Tendai Sophia

IG @tendaitoscie

Photos sourced from:

www.elle.com

www.harpersbazaar.com

www.stylecaster.com

ZFW 2014 Press Conference

“FASHION WEEK IS AN INTERNATIONAL BRAND” – this was a strong opening quote at the ZFW Press Conference that gave us the attendees a better understanding of the vision behind Zimbabwe Fashion Week. ZFW is amongst the top 5 ranked Fashion Weeks in Africa, standing in at Number 4 alongside Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Joburg, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Africa, Lagos Fashion & Design Week and Nigeria Fashion Week. The new Head of PR, Tinopona Katsande purported that there is no other live show or pageantry that has the level of extravagant production that Zim Fashion Week produces; with international performances (Flash Republic in 2013), regional designers (Gavin Rajah for 2013) and international photographers (Simon Deiner Photography) – ZFW tries to bring together the best of what Zimbabwean textile design has to offer on an international level of production.

Zimbabwe Fashion Week is a Trust organisation which is non-profit and purely strives on Sponsors and Buyers. A few of its sponsors this year include Sensationnel Hair by Outre (who were present amongst us) and Mahindra, who will provide transport and logistics throughout the event for the Young Designers and Special Guests from 25-28 September. During the press conference, the Young Designers Programme was the opening sequential and a discussion that I was personally looking forward to as YDP is a strong premise for this blog. This year’s YDP has 10 participants who are being trained in basic pattern making skills, touring the textile industry and being given seminars on manufacturing in Zimbabwe. The YDP participants are required to produce two garments to showcase at ZFW which are later scored for the Young Designers Competition.

This year’s edition of the YDP is pretty exciting as 3 out of the 10 participants come from outside of Harare – 2 students from Bulawayo and 1 student from Mutare. The Ministry of Youth, Empowerment and Indigenisation are also on board with the YDP, as one of their representatives Mr. Acie Lumumba stressed that the Ministry of Youth is openly available to support young boys and girls through job creation, ZIMASSET and the business of creating opportunities that has been spearheaded by ZFW. Fashion is a very unrecognised field in Zimbabwe at the moment, which requires its own set of skills, creative and initiatives, different from anything academic.

This year ZFW plans to take it a step further by having a synergy of build-ups to the main event, through what is dubbed “The Fashion Night”, in collaboration with Maestro Restaurant once a week. Not only that but International Buyers have taken interest in what ZFW has to offer during the 4 day event, and as stated during the press conference – “exporting our local designs might be the way to go right now, as local buyers are not interested to purchase, AND the zim market relies soo heavily on international trends, more so than looking back at home” (this explains why a lot of boutiques in Harare are expensive and cheap imports are the next alternative).  Some of the Special Guests to grace ZFW are the judges from the Cape Town Fashion Council under the directive of the African Fashion International (AFI), who will select top local designers that will go on to further showcase their work at a slot during Africa Fashion Week in Joburg. Entertainment this year is strictly local, with Mokoomba being the headlining act for the ZFW Fashion Awards alongside MMT.

On a personal closing note, I’m intrigued by what I learned and noted at this press conference, not only that but I hope that this post opens doors for Fashion Bloggers in Harare and Zimbabwe, because our ‘Digital Sassy-ness’ is needed to promote our own Fashion industry on a digital platform.

“There is not enough support for designers and fashion in ZIMBABWE”

“There is not enough funding for FASHION in ZIMBABWE”

I thank you for Reading, Stay Gorgeous!

Tendai Sophia

Tinopona Katsande addressing the Press and Affiliated Media during the ZFW 2014 Press Conference.

Models wearing House of Alpha Rose by Yvonne Ndawana

Mr. Acie Lumumba from the Ministry of Youth, Empowerment and Indigenisation.

One of the Sponsors; Sensationnel Hair by Outre

Models in Alpha Rose.

September's Fashion Calendar

Hello Empire!

Welcoming you to a very fashion forward September in Harare this month. SPRING is here and all the best of it comes with fashionable events to dress up for and to get acquainted with. Two major events highlighting this month are Zimbabwe Fashion Week 2014 and the first edition of SADC Fashion Week 2014 - the first of a regional fashion show coming to Harare (how exciting!). A brand new event to look out for is Fashion Collective Market Zimbabwe - a new initiative for designers by designers launching 28 September 2014. And not to forget some soul searching vibes for the artistic individual with Intwasa Arts Fest and Shoko Festival. Mark your calendar, because all these events take place in ONE week (20 - 28 September 2014)!

ZIMBABWE FASHION WEEK 2014

Zimbabwe Fashion Week is the premiere of Zim Fashion in its 5th year running, this year's theme is AFROCENTRICA being held at the revamped Harare City Library in the heart of Harare. Although last year's show had a few of it's own setbacks - it is still exciting to check out this year's edition and their special guest Uri Kolokolnikov from the medieval series the Game of Thrones. Not sure who the headlining designer will be, but i'm sure to keep you posted.

Zimbabwe Fashion Week runs from 25- 28 September 2014 - ticket dates are still to be announced, as well as the scheduled shows and the participating designers at the Press Conference.

SADC FASHION WEEK 2014

First of its kind and officially launching in 2014, SADC Fashion Week 2014 celebrates the fashion, models and designers within the Southern African region. Harare was chosen as the first destination, with tickets already on sale at the Book Cafe (along Samora Machel avenue). SADC Fashion Week kicks off with the SADC Fashion Week and Style awards, where our very own businesswoman Pokello Nare and supermodel Nyasha Matonhodze have been nominated for SADC Fashion Week Model of the Year. Celebrity guest is Model and Actor Irvine Bosha who is also a Zimbabwean alumni. SADC Fashion Week runs from 20-27 September with the Grand Official Cocktail opening on 20 September from 5pm - 10pm - tickets for the opening are as follows: VIP $50 and Standard $30. Tickets for the Runway shows on the 25th, 26th and 27th September are pegged at $30. Location of the event has not been posted, but i'm sure it will be announced soon. In the meantime, check out their Facebook page for more info.

FASHION COLLECTIVE MARKET ZIMBABWE

Fashion Collective Market Zim is a new initiative by designers Danayi Chapfika of Haus of Stone and Rudo Nondo of Anaia Fashions. Both these ladies felt the need to express designer's views from their own point of view (without the array of fashion shows), and what better way to do that than to launch a collective market of independent and up-coming designers in Zimbabwe. Everything that will be on sale is local - and if you don't know your local designers, then this is an event to check out. The location is the Palm Estate in Greystone Park and tickets at the entrance are $5 ($5 off your FIRST PURCHASE whilst you are inside). The theme for FCM 2014 is RETROBASS (old school vibes and a lot of 90s fashion) as seen on their Facebook page. Independant designers who will showcase at FCM Zim are Ska Sebata, House of Tatusi, NDNM (just to name a few) and the designers themselves.

FCM is on 28 September from 11am to 5.30pm.

*Check out their interview with Ngosikadzi Blog here*

Supporting FCM are Fashion Weekend Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Designer's Galleria.

RETROBASS

FESTIVAL HEADLINING SHOWS

September also offers something for the arts and music lovers- Shoko Festival and Intwasa Arts Fest are also aligned in the same week. With Shoko Fest in Harare and Intwasa in Bulawayo.

In it's 4th year running, Shoko Festival covers live music, spoken word, poetry and comedy with a ridiculously reasonable price of $30 for the four (4) day fest. Location is at the Alex Sports Club, with the theme Re-Inspire, Re-imagine. 

Shoko Fest runs from 25-28 September.

Intwasa Arts Fest is in the heart of Bulawayo, although i do not know much about the Fest, i did come across it very recently on Twitter. It's been around for quite some time, hitting its 10th year running. It offers the best of Bulawayo's Arts and Music scene, with international artistes gracing the Festival as well

Intwasa Arts Fest runs from 23-27 September, in some of Bulawayo's locations.

"INTWASA is held in September. This month is very significant to the people of Bulawayo and Zimbabwe in general. September marks the beginning of spring; a time when a lot of activities are done. Spring is the season of regeneration and rebirth. A season for new beginnings and new life. A season of bloom, happiness and celebration."

www.instwasa.org

20-28 Sept is a very busy week in September for Fashion and Music lovers. A lot of planning and outfit co-ordination is required so Mark your dates and time, and indulge in some of Zim's finest events to grace Spring. Make sure to carry some extra cash just incase there is some purchasing required and have fun taking in new cultures.

As a fashion loving girl, the fashion events is where you will find me roaming around and taking snaps.

Happy Spring-tidings!

Tendai Sophia

Is #ZimFashion late on Fashion Trends?

I’M BACK! After a month long hiatus with a trip down south, myself and the blog are back; with fresh new content to indulge in. Whilst I was unexpectedly away on a trip to South Africa I had a lot of free time on my hands – observing and watching the entertainment industry in South Africa. I remember indulging in watching a lot of VUZU TV with V Entertainment and being glued to their 5^th birthday celebrations in Durban July. I remember focusing soo much on what the presenters were wearing – their look, style and fashion! They were always fashion forward and stylish, with my favourite personality being Dineo Moeketsi. Every time the VUZU 5^th birthday ad came on, the only thing I concentrated on was her short pink long sleeved jumpsuit with the gold belt to match - It was my fave!

Ok! Enough narrating and let’s get straight into it! The FASHION TRENDS – I started drawing a comparison between SA fashion and Zim fashion. SA fashion was somehow not any less different from American fashion – what you see in the mag is what you got in real life – fashion conscious, always on point and always on trend. There were different looks to suit different personalities and different stores to cater to different individuals which really ran down to your budget. My obvious shopping stint was Mr Price, The Hub, and Ackermans. But whilst I was doing this, I continued to observe what the trends where, what was dressed on the mannequins and what the current clothing campaign ad was. My conclusion ran down to the following items that where trending on the streets and stores in Joburg;

1. Crop top - short, cute, sexy, stylish, bold and printed! Crop tops where a big trend that dominated the shelves in MRP (Mr. Price). Not only embraced in the stores but with SA bloggers too; with looks from superficialgirls.com zeefashionista.com and fabulously-pink.blogspot.com. Back home the crop top trend quickly came in some stores and died, having spotted a few if not a handful of stores that carried a few crop tops. Not sure if it was a lack of popularity or the trend might officially come later on, only time will tell.

Chenai Muhwati from Fabulously Pink blog wearing a crop top with a matching skirt.

Carlinn from the very popular SA blog Superficial Girls wearing a crop top and Midi skirt both from MRP.

2.Cheeky shorts – denim cheeky shorts where in an upcoming ad campaign with Jays Jays for their summer collection which was slowly starting to take flight. Back home in Zim, I’ve spotted a handful of stores with cheeky little bum shorts but none worn on the streets.

Cheeky summer shorts worn by Carlinn from Superficial Girls, accompanied by the Bowler bag.

3,Circle/Midi skirts – just before I left, MRP’s summer ad campaign had a feature on ladies circle skirts both printed and plain. When I googled it the trend seemed to be going into its second season. Here in Zim however, full length or short circle skirts are embraced by local designs such as Mucha Couture, Blaque Excellence and Shashiko.com, as for the normal individual – I can recall myself and blogger Sharron Mungazi of Deffinatly Shaz who have taken on the trend publicly. But it’s safe to say, I’ve seen it picking up in parts of the city. I remember getting a circle skirt made late last year and my tailor of choice had a difficult time understanding why I chose a circle skirt and why I wanted a flouncy silhouette. Needless to say I had to look for a new tailor and new fabric!

A pic from Sharron Mungazi's blog - Deffinatly Shaz, wearing a deep blue Midi Skirt.

Back in June I did a second post with my print Midi skirt

Once again Chenai Muhwati also rocking the trend on her blog.

4. The Bowler bag - The bowler bag is a round little fellar that has three straps in  total; two shorter straps on each side and one long shoulder length strap. The bowler is super cute and comes in a block colour that can be accompanied with lighter or darker hues such as the one below. Once again, Sapatos had these bags in stock around June and Edgars has a colourful string of bowlers as well. Greatermans also had a few ‘Dazzle’ bowlers before it shut down, and street style wise I spotted a handful of ladies carrying bowlers.

Bowler bag
Sourced Online

5. Ankle Wedge boots – ankle boots where the winter boot of the season, whilst the wedge cut was a popular trend. If I remember correctly MRP, Legit, Ackermans and The Hub stocked on the wedge boot with both zip ups and lace ups. Which automatically meant the young and fashionable where taking on the trend strongly! Coming back home the trend was alive with my own ankle wedge boot from Sapatos, and a few boutiques in the city stocking some. Trend wise it wasn’t known, with a lot of individuals still opting for the good ol’ knee length riding boot to keep warm.

Ankle Wedge boots both from MRP during the winter season.

Ankle Wedges from Sapatos back in June.

6. Snoods – snoods were a big trend during July. Both men and women, young and old were rocking a snood, either knitted snood or the fabric type. The usual long wrap around scarves seemed to be a thing of the past. In Harare however I have only ever spotted a snood once at Joina City’s Sapatos.

Ladies Snood in Woolworths

Men's snood wrapped around a mannequin in Truworths Men.

7. Pullover knits – pullover knits were the order of the day. Whether lightweight or chunky and bold – they were stocked up in a lot of the stores and on the individuals as well. When it comes to knits at home, it hasn’t been fully embraced yet, especially the imprinted sweatshirt or one with graphics and print. Some of the nice pullover knits can be found in Edgars or Truworths – but it is usually streamlined to one look and not a variety.

Ladies stylish pullover knits on the mannequins by studio.w in Woolworths stores.

8. Wellingtons – I’m not sure what the fascination was but wellingtons where a winter favourite. Wellingtons are rain boots that had been given an updated and somewhat fashionable look. Wellingtons where just as popular as ankle wedges than your ordinary knee length boot, with bright colours, funky designs and characters for both the young and old. I haven’t seen a Wellington in Harare, as of yet. I’m still to find out, although they aren’t really my style.

Little kiddies Wellingtons in a variety of colours - also in Woolworths.

With the trends covered above, here is the verdict:

Can we Question Moral values to Fashion?

Where are we on the trend scale? Are some of Harare’s fashionistas too late or we put soo much reliance on tradition and patriotism that soo much of our trends are muted or non-disclosed to the public? You only see shorts, short minis and crop tops at suburban events or parties where the gate is closed and no one knows what’s going on inside OR at a night club where like-minded individuals hang out and understand each other. Taking a mid-bearing crop top to the streets or cheeky bum shorts out on the town may seem sketchy and not the brightest idea as society might shun you, look down upon you and more or less label you. The scenario is even worse if your mode of transport is combis and not your own personal car! Safe to say don’t go there..

Money or Fashion fad? Is it worth it to spend?

Not all cases of fashion trends are late in Zim. Some are on time and on point, if you have extra cash to spare in some of Harare’s top boutiques. Imported labels from Europe, America and South Africa are the norm, and the price tag is too hefty for a normal wallet. In most cases you find yourself calculating ‘the opportunity cost’ when it comes to buying a designer blouse once off or use that money to buy three cute blouses in Powersales. Options are limited as the designer blouse is one of a kind whilst your cute blouse from Powersales is worn by three other different women you bump into in the CBD. Creating an individual look is a challenge which really runs down to your finances. If you are not hesitant, kumabhero is always an option to check out.

What do we say about trends? Can we embrace them?

When we talk of trends we talk of the in-thing! What’s hot, what’s happening at that moment! With the economic scrunch in Zim and the textile industry still trying to revive, a lot of individuals just want to be clothed and not look at trends because it is costly, unbeneficial and sometimes the fabric makes you question twice on your investment. Whilst a country like South Africa can invest in trends, the same cannot be said about Zimbabwe. Until we rise above our economic scrunch, trends are the least concern on any ordinary Zimbo’s mind. Putting food on the table and paying school fees is top priority!

So there you have it - What do you say about trends in Zimbabwe? I have covered numerous articles on trends and I have tried a few here and there on the blog. A lot of reliance with the trends I have covered where either tailor-made or assistance from close friends who constantly cross the border between Zim and SA. Now onto you, do you think #ZimFashion is late on global trends? What are your thoughts?

DISCLAIMER: This article is in the views of the writer. From travelling to South Africa and back home – I only observed, asked and noted down notes through my own research. I’m not affiliated with any of the brands mentioned in this post. I'm always on a quest to question Zim Fashion; by redefining it, bringing it to your attention and finding solutions through this blog.

*The #ZimFashion debate continues! Check out the first post that covered "What's In the Fashion Industry in Zimbabwe", and weigh in.*

Tendai Sophia.