Namibian Fashion Week Postponed Over Lack Fund
WITH the fashion industry longing for a time when a Namibian Fashion Week is a reality, all hopes were dashed when what was to be the very first of Namibia Fashion Week, which was set to take place in October 2015, was cancelled.
The event, a brainchild of the Fashion Council of Namibia was postponed until further notice due to a lack of funding.
Speaking to The Namibian recently, Chakirra Claasen and Charlotte Schoeman revealed that despite offers for funding from some institutions, funds were not enough to pay for what will be a costly project once it materialises. “Unfortunately it was not enough and other stakeholders who previously wanted to come on board, first wanted to see what the Namibia fashion industry had to offer before they would commit,” said Claasen.
The council has decided to postpone the event to an unspecified date until full funding can be sourced. The Emerge Fashion Show was instead created to deliver the same type of show, but on a much smaller scale, focussing on local talent and excluding other fashion week related events such as workshops and buyers days. “The Emerge Fashion show proved that we can host an event of international standard and that the Namibian fashion industry has a lot to offer,” said Claasen.
Emerge, which took place in October 2014, was a success and with 13 emerging and established designers and goldsmiths taking part, it raised the bar for fashion events in Namibia. Not only was it a sold-out event, it received raving reviews which led to participants receiving publicity for their work.
“Since then we shifted our focus back to the Namibia Fashion Week 2015 and once again were unable to secure the full funding necessary to host an event of such magnitude,” Claasen said.
Despite the stumbling blocks, the council also ran a successful Ohorongo Cement Design Challenge. This project had participants from across Namibia showcase their designs with Ohorongo Cement providing unusual material such as raw cement, cement bags and printed fabric.
The winner walked away with a prize that included N$5 000 to go towards their tuition. The top 10 designers were selected through a panel of judges and the winner was chosen by the public via a SMS line. For now, designers, models and other stakeholders will have to wait a little bit longer for Namibia Fashion Week to become a reality.