A model presents a creation during the Makanaka fashion show in Harare, Zimbabwe, September. 3, 2022. (Photo by Tafara Mugwara/Xinhua)
HARARE, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) — It was all merry and fun in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, as fashion designers showcased their collections to a diverse audience of fashion enthusiasts.
Designers included well-known local designers as well as Chinese fashion designer Amon Green, who brought a Chinese interpretation of Zimbabwean style to the runway.
Dubbed “Makana Fashion Show”, the event which was held on Saturday evening, sought to provide an international platform for Zimbabwean designers to showcase their talent to the world.
The show, which brought together the Zimbabwean and Chinese communities, also saw the intersection of music and fashion, with popular, local and Chinese music stars gracing the runway.
Fungai Muzoroza, a local designer, wowed the audience with her fashion collection titled ‘Zou’. Nzou means elephant in the local Shona language.
“I think what makes my fashion unique is the fact that I’m not in a box, I never want to say I’m a formal wear designer, or I’m a glam designer, I do a little bit of everything,” she told Xinhua after the show .
Chinese fashion designer Amon Green wowed the audience with his collection which presented his interpretation of Zimbabwe.
“I have visited many countries. I adopt different styles, different fabrics and different elements to create a unique sense of fashion. I use those different materials and elements to create a design that will never go out of style, he told Xinhua.
The designer said the opportunity to exhibit in Zimbabwe has given him an insight into the beauty of African fashion.
Rufaro Chikwaira, a designer known as the Great Locomotive, said the event has elevated Zimbabwean fashion to the international stage.
“My fashion is unique because I don’t do the basic things we see every day. I usually find crazy art from anime, watch a lot of cartoons, take a lot of concepts from there and try to bring it to life,” he said.
Tadiwanashe Marowa, the project manager for the show, said the Makanaka fashion show aimed to bring the Zimbabwean and Chinese communities together.
While engagement between China and Africa mainly focuses on diplomatic and economic boundaries, Marowa said fashion and culture can also help cement ties between the two sides.
“This show I think was a success. We managed to bring together Zimbabwean culture and Chinese culture. We also managed to put our designers on the map because their fashion will also be shown internationally, this fashion show is going worldwide. , ” she said.
Tanaka Dumbura, Miss Culture Zimbabwe, said the platform showcases the creativity of local designers.
“I think this is a good initiative because we get to see designers from Zimbabwe because I believe that in most cases the fashion industry in Zimbabwe is inspired by the western world which is more or less a problem because we don’t get to see diversity in our fashion industry, like African-inspired fashion,” she said. ■
A model presents a creation during the Makanaka fashion show in Harare, Zimbabwe, September. 3, 2022. (Photo by Tafara Mugwara/Xinhua)
