Windhoek
Namibia’s fashion designer and the overall winner of this year’s Designer Fashion Show Season 6 says winnng has given her a platform to work harder to take her designs to the next level.
Fiina Nghishekwa (28), who couldn’t hold her excitement says she really felt great and honoured receiving the trophy. “It is good to see that my work is appreciated by many, not only those who attended the show but to all my regular clients,” she says. She adds that her aim was not to win but to showcase her works to a larger clientele. “This is my firsttime taking part in a fashion show, much less a competition. I believed what made me win are thee unique fabrics I used and the quality of my work,” she says.
Fiina showcased her ready-to-wear garments, which she describes as easy on and easy off. “It is very easy to make dresses and to me it’s a piece of cake. I made the collections for the completion just in two days, due to the fact that my material I used were imported from Angola and arrived a bit late. Firstly I got my inspiration from the Hollywood actresses and artists on red carpet at glamour events, than I do sketches to add some materials and take out some and I take measurements for models, and I place them on materials than I cut. Most designers use pattern but I don’t,” says Fiina.
Her designs theme is Modern Cultures. “On this theme, I used Angolan cultural fabric called Samakaka to make modern dresses. These fabrics somehow inspired me with their combination of colours such as yellow, red, white and black. It’s a beautiful fabric,” she says.
Fiina was inspired by her aunt known as ‘Oye-owange’. Her passion for fashion started when she was in high school by taking part in different beauty pageants and modeling shows. She graduated from the College of the Arts (COTA) in Fashion Design in 2011. Fiina is planning to host her solo fashion show next September. “I want my first show to be great and well organised. It will be my very own first and the launch of my brand. Hosting a show is not easy in this industry; you will need a lot of money and sponsors,” she says.