The third edition of the Windhoek Fashion Week concluded over the weekend with a mosaic of local and international designers showing off their well-crafted designs
Taking place in different venues in the capital, like the Confab Restaurant Rooftop and Nampower Convention Centre, and with various attractions, including a Street Cuisine, fashionistas and sundry took time to see and savour the different designs. Kicking off with a series of talks at the Goethe-Institut Namibia and Confab Restaurant on November 5 and 6, Ruth-Janessa Funk from Germany led a Start-Up Talk covering numerous aspects based on her extensive experience in the international fashion industry spanning over 25 years. This year the event attracted up to 36 designers including two accessories designers, 25 of them local while eight were international designers. More than 60 models from Windhoek, northern part of the country, the coast and some international models as well.
Wednesday, October 7 saw models, designers and invited guests mingling and networking while sipping refreshments and delighting on snacks. The night also saw folks wearing their best garments, displaying their best clothes from their exclusive closets. The first runway show was hosted by the House Of Melisa Poulton and took place on Thursday evening at the Confab Restaurant. Her theme was summer time festival and something funky, fun and free for the upcoming festive season. She highlighted swimwear, ready to wear and three showstopper dresses, all produced in her studio. One collection consisted of 17 garments. Some of her garments was already prepared during the course of the year but most made during October.
The Friday saw another runway show with the College of the Arts (COTA) students patronising a street cuisine for an exhibition style show with their beautiful garments made from different materials. Upcoming designers displayed the designs at The Confab on Friday evening and delivered an amazing event with many beautiful collections. One of the upcoming designers, Pinehas Shikulo, known as Zulu Boy, show off his Vintage Collection, including his most trending Gweri socks which left many in awe.
On Saturday, the event saw emerging designers and established designers displaying their wares at the Nampower Convention Centre. This also saw one of the international designers, Mkhize’s brand reaching a new peak with beautiful collections including pieces from his Black Indulgence, Zulu 100 collection.
Another designer, Hilly June, was the talk of the night when she displayed her white Wedding Gown that fitted Maria Nepembe perfectly and further elevated her model stature. She winded the event down with her Ria Collection brand, with summer garments and new collection.
For Nivaldo Thierry, one of the international designers, it was an exceptional experience to show his creations in this part of the world, internationalising and exchanging ideas with other designers, models and production teams.