It’s not easy putting together an inaugural piece for anything – magazine, be it social commentating, newspaper column – anything. Trust me, Benjamin Franklin managed through his inaugural address by fumbling a money clip!! Tell me how you fumble one in writing! And as if that was not enough, a word on something as broad and diverse as fashion and style. So many things to say in such a limit of words, time and opportunity! Omigosh! Anyway, while I was in mental turmoil, struggling to find a streamline issue to write about, a mother’s words echoed, “Heel boy, pull the reins and get it together” (yeah right! Like that is any easy!!). The point is I am psyched and down-right electrified – I am excited!
So for the next (I don’t know how long – eh, maybe as long as we live), we will be on and on about fashion in and out of the capital of arts and culture. Yes, you’re right, Bulawayo stands as the hive and hub of art and everything artistic. I will not define fashion, style and/ or fashion and style – that’s kind of typical and stereotype! We will just plunge into it and talk fashion and style. For those who need the baseline definitions, sorry, you’re joining this party already started! Hop on!
While the RBZ and the Gono troupe are busy policing, here we will be policing on fashion and style. We will dibble on the dos and dabble on the don’ts; we will literally paint a constitution on fashion and style right here in Bulawayo and in Zimbabwe as a whole!
I mean let’s face it, there is an acceptable standard also called the norm. Yeah, it’s true – a standard code of acceptable conduct in all. Screw Einstein and his intelligent theory of relativity. There is a set universal standard of fashion; set continuously by the trendsetters (Hate them all you want but Dolce and Steffano, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford – they have it going on!). I mean really, hideous is hideous and that’s what we will police. It couldn’t be simpler than that.
Honestly, fashion is imperative. It is a need, not a want. It is a must. You have to be dressed – somehow – all the time. It’s unavoidable. As a result, the fashion industry has the most lucrative and handsome number of stakeholders. It is imperative that people dress up and because it is so, why not do it good? This of course is not the notion in many people’s heads but shouldn’t it? It’s obvious you’re not going to walk out of the house naked, you will have to dress, so why don’t you just do it right then?
In Bulawayo… we boast of a rich diverse culture, a fusion of all sorts. This hardly seems possible seeing as we have only one art school at the Polytechnic which should rightly source all designers in and around town. But no, half if not three quarters of designers in town do not know the backyard of the Poly Art School. Hold on…that does not mean they are not good! Some though, were hit by the door on their way out and still they can put together a piece or two of fabric. It’s not about the book baby, but all about creativity and innovation, and of course, inspiration.
We are heavily inspired by the Rainbow Nation of South Africa. All it’s facets of fashion: Soweto style (also called ghetto fabulous!). Here lies the Loxion Cultures and the All Star’s of this world. I mean we all love to slip on a pair of All Stars for that night out on the town. And then comes the rich and famous; the Carducci’s by David Tlale, the Stoned Cherrie’s, the Sun Goddess’s of this world! I could go on. The point is, we are wholly inspired by uMzansi style. But not only do we stop there, we merge this with our own inventions and innovations and also with Brit’s DVB, France’s Givenchy, Italy’s D&G, New York’s DKNY, Houston’s Roca Wear ( I could go on ) to give off our own unique Zimbo style! The likes of Zuva, Enzo Munari, Stone, Urban Wear, Acid, and so on are exclusively and proudly Zimbabwean!
So we are here and we definitely judge a book by its cover. If it glitters, it’s gold, if not, it’s a knockoff, a cheap one for that! Next week, we’ll blabber on and on about the genre’s of fashion, so keep it logged and keep the fashion radar on... (eh, for knockoffs).
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