The Katutura Fashion Week (KFW) will host more than 20 designers to showcase their creations, while 70 models are poised to grace the runway with a stunning display of both local and international designs on 24 and 25 November 2023.
With anticipation building up, Dennis Hendricks, the visionary behind the fashion show, touched on the narratives behind the designs and garments.
The event will delve into the stories told through clothing, highlighting the evolving landscape of fashion, he said.
“The theme for this year’s 5th edition is ‘Taking pride in our cultural heritage and diversity.’
Katutura Fashion Week 2023 aims to celebrate the rich tapestry of heritage and culture, considering them as gifts from past generations and a legacy for our future,” shared Hendricks. He further expressed excitement about introducing new and fresh faces to the industry, including international models, who will add a global flair to the runway.
The event will not only be a captivating runway experience, but showcase creative works that push the boundaries of fashion.
He highlighted the significance of culture in enriching lives, from historic monuments to contemporary art forms, fostering inclusive, innovative, tolerant and resilient communities.
Hendricks boasted: “Katutura Fashion Week 2023 is poised to be more than a mere display of clothing; it’s a cultural celebration that transcends borders, providing a platform for designers to weave stories through their creations.”
“Some of the challenges faced in the fashion industry are sustainability, green washing and textile waste, supply chain bottlenecks, product lifetime management, fit issues as well as changing consumer desires,” he shared.
Cyber-attack resilience, inflation and raw materials’ prices, lack of qualified employees, and time-to-market are key issues which also remain a hurdle.
“Overcoming the biggest fashion industry challenges, I think one has to adapt to changing consumer behaviour, listening to the concerns of customers and colleagues, and investing in the right solutions and software,” said Hendricks.
The fashion week has always incorporated art, and been on a whole different level of creativity for the past five years. Hendricks further noted that having people talk non-stop about the KFW is a great indicator of its success.