Saturday, November 2, 2013

Zambia Fashion Week 2013 - Grand Finale: The Designer Edition








Betty Bulongo with her brand 'Bulongo'. Betty seeks to create designs that ooze elegance. These designs have been featured in Zambia's Lifestyle magazines, NKHANI CULTURE and BEAUTY ZAMBIA. We love how this particular collection incorporates and highlights the femininity(with the pink) and ethnicity(with the Chitenge/Ankara Fabric) of the Zambian woman.
















Charity Nyirongo, founder and creator of Mo'Creations and Couture, specialises in designing for Men, Women and Children (aren't they adorable?!). Her designs are inspired by the African experience. We love how much time and effort was put into these pieces, case in point, the individual multi-coloured stars that appear in some of the pieces found in the adult collection.







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Nankhonde Kasonde-van den Broek is the founder and creator of the label Chitenge Life which is inspired by cloth worn everyday. She designs selected be-spoke clutch purses that speak to every woman. We love how the bags are made more exciting with the addition of different chitenge fabric. Notice the chitenge lining? :)












Chiza Ngulube started fashion as a hobby in 2001. His fashion ethos are denim with a mixture of African culture and fabrics. His brand, Esnoko, is inspired by nature, music and people around him. We love this collection primarily because of its wear-ability and the fact its on-trend. :)











Chola L. Muthoni's label, Poleka, shows off how versatile and artistic fashion can be. We love the fit and colours of her blazers :)











Cuthbert Nguni,  a self taught designer is the founder of C & V couture. He designs for functions such as weddings and has worked in Zambia, Botswana as well as South Africa. We appreciated the way in which he created his clothes to flatter many different figures.













Deborah Chuma of 'Debbie Chu' designs clothes that can only be described as a breath of fresh air, her pieces are colourful, eclectic and well tailored. We love how leather is incorporated into the designs. :)











Innocent Angels is a collective of three designers; Mulenga and twins Chipasha and Katongo. their designs are inspired by shape and architectural colour. We love the yellow hues in this collection, as well as the globe dress, which was a show-stopper. :)













Nada Chibanda enjoys both unconventional and conventional methods of designing, she gets the inspiration for her designs from her dynamic personality and loves to mix and match fabrics. We loved the Maxi-tops and dresses in this collection. :)






















Petros Giannakakis launched his P G label in 2007, he has showcased at Zambia Fashion Week every year since. He enjoys making modern designs and looks to set trends rather than follow them. We love the  deconstructed and distressed pieces. :)












Sabina Mutsvati is a trained artist, costume designer and model. She creates visual and creative pieces of clothing. This was one of the more visually stimulating collections of the night, we loved the 'fashion imitates art' feel of it. :)










Terrence Chipebere is a Zimbabwean designer that created the label 'The Tribe' in 2010. the label specializes in ready to wear items for both men and women  and draws inspiration from different tribes around Africa. We loved the edgy back-to-school feel of the pieces designed for women. :)












Thandi Alifo's interest in design goes as far back as her early childhood she loves the idea of making outfits for those around her. Her focus is to make all women comfortable in themselves regardless of their shape and/or size. Our favourite thing about this collection was the way in which lace and Chitenge were combined flawlessly. :)












Towani Clarke is a self taught 'afro chic' designer, her label 'Kutowa designs' is a fusion of African and Western design. This collection was one of the most anticipated and controversial collections of the night, the combination of sheer and opaque fabric was brilliantly executed. :)












Yvonne Ndawana is a Zimbabwean designer, creator of the label 'Alpha Rose', she specializes in womens ready to wear couture and bridal. She is inspired by nature, her heritage and encounters with various cultures. We absolutely loved the evening wear in this collection. :)











Zambia Fashion Week Celebrity Catwalk:  This fun little segment paired designers that had showcased on the night with Zambian celebrities of different fames; Everyone from Songbird Salma in a Charity Nyirongo design to Zambia Fashion Week founder Karen Nakawala in a design by Towani Clarke. :)











Zambia Fashion Week Emerging Designers Competition: This competition is run by Zambia Fashion Week to uplift and encourage emerging designers in Zambia. This year featured designs from Cynthia Phiri, Mwanje Mukalasha, Phelile Chime, Thandiwe Tembo, Melanie Chirwa and the winning designer Patricia Mulenga who was gifted with a state-of-the-art gadget from Samsung.

Patricia was also congratulated by the 'Fly 5' and the Second Lady; Wife of Republican Vice-President, Mrs Charlotte Scott. :)