Windhoek Fashion Week brings new designers

By Rosalia David

THE 4th edition of the annual Windhoek Fashion Week that kicked off on the 5th of this month will be introducing more emerging designers, including College of the Arts second-year fashion students that will be showcasing their garments on the runway on Friday.

The five-day event that started on Tuesday got underway with a day of fashion talks followed by a welcoming party that took place on Wednesday, while one of the undisputed top local designers Ingo Shanyenge’s private show is schedule to take place today.

Windhoek Fashion Week director Kalistu R Mukoroli said that this year’s event is full of surprises, from bringing together international acts such as House of St Luke (SA), Maison De Rouge (Zimbabwe) and Kabaso Nkandu (Zambia).

“There will be loads of glitz and glamour, new designers showcasing on the ramp. We also a photo booth area that leave fashion lovers with a lot of awesome memories… it’s all about showcasing the best in Namibia and Africa,” Mukoroli explained.

Touching on what fashion lovers can look forward to this year, he said the Windhoek Fashion Week team has worked extra hard this time around to bring new partners on board while topping it off with an exhibit by students from the University of Johannesburg.

“We have new models, new designers, new partners on board and adding another year to creating a platform to the Namibian creative industry. We have so many surprises in store,” he added.

This year, Windhoek Fashion Week partnered up with Castle Lite, MUD SA, Marigold Hotel, Maerua Mall, Haven, World Skills and Appletiser. “We were hosting a Pop-up Shop with Maerua Mall in their mall for September and October and our last one will be 11-16 November to give an opportunity for Namibian designers to market and sell their products.”

Last year, the celebration of Namibian fashion closed off on a high note with 35 homegrown and international designers that showed off their work over three days.

Highlights from the previous show, included Namibia Institute of Mining and Technology graduate Malina’s impeccable collection. South Africa’s House of Saint Luke is back with the designer returning for another spectacular showing after his 2017 debut at the same event.

Maria Nepembe’s ‘RIA’ stunned when the young creative put out an immaculate collection of power suits, while Simeone Johannes was said to have been at his absolute best with his SynEdgy collection that was also on show last year.

Last year, space was also afforded to rising talents, like Libi Schmidt, a 22-year-old designer who is mostly self-taught.

The 2018 Windhoek Fashion show also had various workshops, including industry talks and parties that took place over the seven days. One of the designers who never disappoints, Melisa Poulton’s off-site was revealed on a Thursday during a ‘Fashion Fiesta’ as a colourful collection filled with tulle extravagance and pretty pastels.

For this year’s much talked about show, the team promised to give an opportunity to those who aspire to become successful fashion designers, such as 26-year-old Nandi Martins, who will be displaying her beautiful self-made pieces at the 2019 Fashion Week.

According to Mukoroli, the team has worked extra hard to make sure that this year’s 4th edition of Windhoek Fashion Week becomes a major success and an historical moment in Namibian fashion.