WINDHOEK- The Windhoek Fashion Week 2019 was officially launched in the capital at a local hotel last week.
“The Windhoek Fashion Week is a platform that was created to bring an opportunity to Namibian designers, jewellery makers, models and so forth,” said Luis Munana, the Founder and Director of the Windhoek Fashion Week.
The Windhoek Fashion Week organisers have assured spectators and fashion enthusiasts that this year they can expect more local and international designers. “In the beginning, Namibian models and designers used to showcase their work in other countries, so we decided to localise the idea and create an opportunity for them to do it here at home,” explained Munana.
He further said the team behind the fashion week wants the industry to grow. “This is our fourth year running, we are getting there. It’s not easy but it’s not impossible either,” said Munana.
Securing sponsors has and will always be a nightmare to event planners and hosts. “We have knocked on a lot of doors, with some that were shut and we are forever thankful for those who have opened their doors. That gave a ray of hope for the industry,” said Munana.
For this year, The Windhoek Fashion Week’s sponsors include Maerua Mall, Stella Artois, Haven Beauty and Spa Studio for hair-related matters, Appletiser as a beverage sponsor, Fashion Council of Namibia as strategic partners, MUD (Make-Up Designory) for makeup and Simply You Magazine as media partners.
The founder of Simply You Magazine, Helena Ngaifiwa, commended the fashion week for the remarkable opportunity it has been according young designers, models and jewellery makers.
“We have been with them from the beginning; we believe in their goals,” said Ngaifiwa, adding that this has not only been a platform to showcase local work. “We have seen international fashion gurus right here in the land of the brave. The likes of David Tlale from South Africa and Moshions from Rwanda have graced us with their presence here,” she recalled.
Ngaifiwa said the opportunity has brought Africa to Namibia and is taking Namibia to the rest of Africa and this is evident from the international media that has been present at the event ever since its inception.
Reputed for developing and giving a platform to industry mavens, the auspicious occasion is scheduled to take place from November 5 to 9 this year at two different occasions around Windhoek, which are yet to be announced it is a secret.