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namibian fashion

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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.

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If 2015 taught me anything about the state of Namibian fashion, it’s that young, emerging fashion stars are on the rise. While many more experienced designers seem to be taking a step back from the public eye, the newbies are using social media to propel their brands faster than ever.

The entire fashion class of 2015 at the University of Namibia is an example of the creative use of online platforms as well as the endless possibilities.

Taking over the National Art Gallery of Namibia, the students amazed with their vibrant, immaculately constructed and fashion-forward collections.

Helena Hangula’s ‘Corporate Chic’ was perfection, Quin-Leigh Hammond is fashion forward with ‘Ethical Fashion’ and Ndapandula Kashanu uses a creative mix of vintage, retro and urban street glam in ’60’s Retro Chic’ and ‘Hipster’.

Just a few days later on the opposite side of town, the College Of The Arts (Cota) students had their turn to showcase their talents.

For the first time since I started covering fashion, Cota failed to impress, with only Ruberto Scholtz taking my breath away with his mind-blowing ‘Venom’ collection.

Maria Nepembe, whose style has been the envy of many, also blessed us with her first fashion line, ‘RIA’. The line is fresh and glamorous but in an understated way. This young woman clearly did her research when coming up with the line as it appeals to women of all ages.

In the beauty world, we witnessed the crowning of the very first Miss Namibia who’s as good on the catwalk as she is on the sports field. Steffi van Wyk showed thousands of young women out there that beauty doesn’t just come in one form. She continues to make us proud, breaking the record at the Miss World pageant in China where she won all the sports challenges.

We witnessed a continued collaboration between fashion and other industries like film, theatre and music. Who can forget the wonderful partnership between Lize Ehlers and Melisa Poulton, or Cynthia Schimming’s brilliant work in wardrobe creation for ‘Katutura’?

The corporate world also came on board and created opportunities for aspiring fashion designers to break through. The Ohorongo Cement Designer Challenge is a good example. The Miss Namibia pageant made emerging fashion designer’s dreams come true when for the first time ever, they offered the chance to design for the crowing ceremony.

Months later however, the same pageant came under scrutiny for using South African designers for Miss Namibia’s Miss World wear.

Modelling continues to be an industry that is unsustainable in the Namibian context but Namibian models based internationally are doing great things. Behati Prinsloo and Yana Haenisch are making big strides on international catwalks.

Some other highlights that didn’t get as much exposure as they should have include the Damara Dress Heritage Festival, which is a brilliant platform to celebrate and instil a culture of pride in one of the country’s most iconic traditional dresses.

Christy Shakuyungwa revealed her ‘Taati and Friends’ range of black dolls in traditional Namibian garb which teach youngsters to feel pride in their cultural uniqueness and heritage.

This year showed us that with persistence, hard work and the necessary dose of creativity, anyone can make it in the fashion business

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NORTHERN-BASED Usuta Couture designer, Keri Mootu stepped into The Namibian‘s offices on Monday to talk about her fashion show slated for Saturday, 5 December at Rochas Hotel in Oshakati.

Mootu will be unveiling her newest collection, which she describes as her best work yet, in the northern town which doesn’t usually see much fashion action through the year.

“This will be nothing you have seen before, I have stepped out of my comfort zone and came up with something different this time around,” she said.

The summer collection consists of menswear, children’s wear as well as swimwear just in time for the sweltering hot Namibian summer. Some of her designs from previous collections will also be showcased at the event.

Speaking about the quiet fashion scene in the north, Mootu admits that compared to Windhoek, things are slower but picking up with time as more people are exposed to Namibian fashion.

“Fashion is growing in the North. People are getting more accustomed to getting clothes made instead of simply buying them in
stores.” She has hope that the northern fashion scene is growing and being a part of the growth is something that she treasures. “I am glad to be a part of the northern-based evolution of fashion, it’s like a newborn baby and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

Fashion enthusiasts can expect a showcase of note, with performances from Big Ben, Don Kamati of HDM, as well as Tulisan. “Apart from the fashion, people will be treated to these great artists who will cater for the young and the old.”

The Usuta Couture fashion show will start at 19h00 with tickets priced at N$100 for general entry and N$250 for VIPs. Guests will be treated to a free glass of champagne upon entry while VIPs will receive a goodie bag. All garments in the fashion show will be on sale for cash after the show.

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THE College of the Arts (Cota) Katutura campus was a hive of activity last Friday as students put on a phenomenal display of their year’s worth of work.

From visual art, ceramics, textiles, jewellery and fashion, students showed just how hard they worked on their respective annual projects, with spectacular displays in the visual arts, fashion and multi-media departments.

The event got off to a late start as guests perused the artwork on display of the campus’ main building. The walls, adorned with an array of colourful representations of the student’s creativity, came alive as guests were treated to photographic works, metallic creations as well as fashion sketches.

On the first floor of the campus building, an entire wall dedicated to drawings is bound to draw you in, providing insight into the initial stages of creation for an artist. These drawings, some of which are magnificent, frame-worthy pieces, are on sale for N$100, cash and carry. A great way for the students to make some additional money from uncompleted yet perfectly decent artwork. Next is a room filled with unique jewellery pieces made from unconventional material.

Priced affordably to ensure anyone can own a piece of the Cota magic. More paintings, ceramics, textiles and majestic centrepieces fill the top floor.

Despite the exciting arts experience, the fashion show that followed was a let down. Less than a handful of student designers stood out, with the rest putting out mediocre collections that are little to write home about.

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A jigsaw puzzle can be a fun pastime when you are the kind of person who loves to put together tiny pieces of an image. What visionary does not like the idea of seeing the bigger picture? However, the fun and games are not so fun when you encounter an unsolvable puzzle.

Not that that those exist in the jigsaw puzzle world, but imagine if they did. You would be playing a game you cannot win when the entire point of games, puzzles and life in general is to win. So what would you do? All the pieces of the puzzle are there but you just cannot figure out how to place them in order to form the bigger picture.

The Namibian fashion industry is a complex jigsaw puzzle that seems unsolvable. All the pieces of this industry are there, but we just cannot get it together.

We are like talented visionaries who are visually impaired. We do not understand the concept of building an industry as a team or as a networking resource, because it is truly about every man being for himself.

It baffles me that we think asking for help or giving help is a weakness; it is the notion that suggests that if I help you and you gain credibility, I will lose. This is what is keeping us from improving the stagnant ‘blah’ we call a fashion Industry.

A competitive character is critical, but what is the point if there is no one to compete with? What is the point if peers cannot support, critique and respect each other’s work? If this is the case, we will end up with a tiny industry with tiny ‘monopolies’ that are going nowhere fast. We are doing nothing for the greater good of the industry.

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STARTED in 2013 by visionary fashion designer Hendrina Shikalepo aka Leni C, the Young Designer Fashion Show is heading to its sixth season and promises to be bigger and better than before.

“When the show started, we wanted to create a platform to help and support young up-and-coming designers,” says Hendrina during an interview with The Namibian. The event, which is usually staged twice a year is not for established designers but rather for those who have recently graduated and are only starting to craft a place for themselves in the sometimes brutal fashion industry. “There are a lot of designers in Namibia but it’s difficult for them to shine,” says Hendrina who took it upon herself to create a platform to give these young designers exposure.

With various setbacks hampering the growth of these young designers, Hendrina says that pricing and financial support are the biggest challenges.

“Namibian designers are forced to sell at lower prices because they are desperate to sell. We therefore need to educate our people on the importance of accepting the prices set out by designers,” she says. She is however optimistic that fashion designers are receiving more and more support from the public and that young designers have hope in the industry.

Although there isn’t a monetary prize for the winner of these fashion shows, Hendrina emphasises that the exposure and an opportunity to showcase are equally lucrative. “It’s not all about getting a prize as we are still growing. I always tell the designers, if you want to make money, sell your tickets.”

Adding a twist to what has become a standard event on Namibia’s fashion scene, the event will see the inclusion of plus sized models as well as children’s fashion.

The next Young Designer Fashion Show will take place on 1 August with times and the venue still to be announced. A panel of judges will be selected to assist in choosing the best designers and models at the event.

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