Story by Babara Kudzaishe Zanga: After a showcase of culinary prowess from both the junior and senior chefs at the Victoria Falls Food and Wine Festival, the festival took a dramatic turn highlighting fashion and style as a showcase of young Designers taking center stage.

The fashion show, with OKM as the master of ceremonies, began with a heartfelt poem by Victoria Falls’s own Emily the Poet famously known as Imbongikazi setting the tone for a night of unimaginable creativity and self expression. This was then followed by the rising gospel artist Naishe as he sang “his love letter to God” as the models started owning the runaway.

Young Designers from all parts of Zimbabwe brought a fresh perspective to the runway, with most fusing contemporary art into morden wear and high fashion. Their designs were a testament to their creativity and skill, revealing a new level of fashion innovation.

The Red Planet brand owner Tamar, a 23 young old designer from Kwekwe expressed that people think she’s crazy because of how different her designs are, which she says caters for outcasts.

Tamar, ” Red planet is for outcasts, people who aren’t easily accepted by society. So it accepts people and uses materials that people don’t normally use like plastics, second hand clothes, just weird things in general.”

She further expressed that she wishes her mother was there to see her work on silhouettes and the reactions of the audience.

Ruva, owner of the brand Planet Avvar was one of the 11 young designers on the fashion show who also emphasised on sustainability in their collections using pieces from recycled materials and eco-friendly fabrics.

Designers such as Doe, owner of the brand D.O.E and Drip Psycho owner of THK also showed a different perspective to fashion with a mind boggling fusion of artistry and activism. The brand D.O.E showcased outfits connecting to African roots of freedom from slavery while merging with the modern street wear, . THK showcased the “orphanage redemption” collection that celebrated Zimbabwe’s culture while addressing universal themes. This will to challenge the traditional notions to fashion and culture added an extra layer of depth to the whole show.

The fashion show hosted over 25 models from Victoria Falls who all owned the runway with confidence, professionalism and poise even when some errors were made. 20 year old model Michelle Kabotsa was skipped on the runway while modelling D.O.E yet she handled herself with confidence.

Speaking to My Kasi Magazine, Michelle K said the whole mistake played out well because the designer had asked them to be sad and the issue just helped her model the design better.

The young designers who showcased their skills and creativity were 11 all with rising brands. There were namely Soleil by Kuki, Icatha by Marcus, Molimo Fabrics by Molimo, Yet Galore by Tashinga, The Red Planet by Tamar, THK by Drip Psycho, Zeyvry Atlas by Ava, D.O.E by Doe, Planet Avvar by Ruva, and Rozebowl and sexsounds, a collaboration between two designers Nobunaga and Albutler.

The Victoria Falls Food and Wine Festival in conjunction with the Victoria Falls Fashion Festival provided a much needed platform for yound designers to showcase their talents, gain industry exposure as well as motivate young people in the tourism City of Victoria Falls to look beyond tourism in their career paths. More is yet to come as we wait for the upcoming next edition of Skeyi and Strobo fabrik party in October in Harare.