Launched this week to coincide with the prestigious annual Windhoek Fashion Week, telecommunications giant and headline sponsor MTC has joined the mainstream fashion industry with its clothing store Bluetick.

The local online store is the first of its kind powere by the telecommunication company, with the aim to uplift the Namibian fashion and design industry through a created opportunity that supports and encourages talented Namibian fashion designers to showcase their talent and be able to make a living out of it.

With the Namibian fashion industry still in its infancy stage, MTC has invested in the emerging industry and draws a crowd that embraces Namibian fashion – not as a sideshow, but as the main component of international design.

“One of our objectives is to empower our local designers. We also aim to uplift the retail industry, as we all know many of our designers struggle to sell their items or get the right market for their garments, so we are allowing them to make use of our platform, and we instantly give them one million customers in terms of viewership,” said the company’s spokesperson Tim Ekandjo.

According to him, the group of 19 talented designers has now collaborated with MTC to design exclusive clothing for different age groups and accessories for the MTC brand.

These designs will be exclusive to MTC, while the designers will pocket the earnings derived from the sale on Bluetick.

“The designers will be producing products, determining their selling prices, and MTC will do the selling on their behalf via the MTC e-commerce platform, and the money will go directly to the designer(s),” he said, adding that the platform is also open to designers who were not selected among the first crop of designers.

He said, “As time goes, the current designers will have to up their game and give their utmost best to remain on the platform. This is set to be an ongoing process, as the demand for local garments is on the rise”. 

While the country is slowly recovering from the impact of Covid-19, fashion may just be the answer to upskill, create jobs and boost the clothing retail sector into further growth.

Ekandjo stated MTC intends on creating more job opportunities for especially young creatives, who, for the longest time, have been sidelined.

“These are our young people. They are the future of the country,” he added.

Asked on his take on the current fashion industry, Ekandjo admitted that although there has been growth over the years, there is undoubtedly a lot to be tapped into within the fashion industry – and the country still has a long way to go to adequately cater to the large demand gap.

“We have talented creatives; however, many of them tend to disappear after some time because there is a limited platform to showcase their work,” he said.

To help boost the fashion industry, Ekandjo said there is a need to set up a fashion factory.

“Any designer would tell you that garments in Namibia are very expensive, and most of them import from China, so I think if we really want growth, we should set up a manufacturing company and make sure the garments are readily available,” he concluded.

Speaking to VIBEZ!, award-winning fashion designer Hamunjela Oiva, who is also one of the designers picked for the Bluetick initiative, said the platform will build a pathway towards more significant growth in the fashion sector.

“It’s such an honour to be part of this great initiative. I am thankful that we are finally getting the recognition we deserve. This is going to be a massive movement, and I am so happy to be part of it,” said Oiva. 

The Bluetick online store will go live on 1 December 2021. - ashikololo@nepc.com.na