By Tawanda Ngena
Renowned fashion designer Paidemoyo Chideya Mazhandu believes
that the Zimbabwean fashion industry has the potential to surpass expectations and
can one day become a major player on the regional stage, if not an international
one.
"Opportunity presents itself in many ways. We are being
given an opportunity to rectify the problems that have been created by past
generations and we are also being given a chance to develop the sector and and
become a leading player in Africa and eventually in the world. Therefore, the onus
is on us as fashion designers to grab this unique opportunity with both hands",
she said.
Who can doubt that assertion, especially when it is coming from
a Paris and New York trained designer who of course is owner of her own fashion
label, DeMoyo, which she established in 2010 and is located in the leafy surburb
of Avondale, Harare.
" The name 'DeMOYO' stems from Paidemoyo, my name and it
also means 'from the heart'. All that I can say is that all creative works that
come from me come from the Heart.
"Nothing beats knowing that I am being my best, yet
still individual and that I am the brand ambassador within my work culture",
said Paidemoyo.
DeMoyo's target market is metropolitan women and men aged
between 25-40.
" We recognized a need in the market for a
sophisticated and fabulous look when it comes to business attire. The need
comes from the understanding that a corporate look should also define a
personality, a feeling, a touch, a sense of style and above all else eloquence.
" Our goal is to connect to the grassroots of the
corporate subculture and we have embarked on the great mission of tackling
corporate culture and identity through design, style and clothing", said Mazhandu.
Mazhandu spent more than a decade discovering what it meant
to become not only the epitome of the classic, but an innovator in the fashion sense
as well.
Now mature, and ready to leave a mark on the fashion industry
with her own style, she has created a product line that she hopes encapsulates
her vision of the fashion world.
"I have always been creative. I consider myself a
creator first, an artist second and a designer third. I have been blessed
enough to have real experience from some of the fashion world's top players.
"This subsequently led to me pursuing my own dream of
creating a fashion empire. I have seen things that most people only dream of
and it has been the most beautiful experience of my life", she said.
Born in Zimbabwe, raised in Sweden, London and with a brief stint
in Paris, Paidemoyo learned to refine her design eye through the diversity of
all the multiplexes of cultures that surrounded her upbringing. Upon her New
York City arrival, she worked some of the most iconic fashion houses, chief among
them being Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, where she learnt to refine her eye
for vintage, style, eloquence and demure.
"One of my most treasured moments was naturally the
first show I ever saw live- Valentino in Paris and then walking down the runway
at the end of my show in Toronto", said Paidemoyo.
In this industry, to survive you have to stay ahead of, not only
the trends but the competition as well, we asked Paidemoyo how her own product line
has managed to stay relevant.
"First and and foremost, our basic approach is to work
on each individual client to ensure customers retention. The residual effect of
this is that naturally by word of mouth people will hear about our service,
finishing and expertise. Then secondly the garment itself speaks for itself.
"We make sure that everything we do is made to
perfection. What is does is that it guarantees our product. Thirdly, all social
media, online platforms, website, retail outlet platforms must be in top form.
That's it in a nutshell", she said.
As to her plans for the future, the fashion designer said that
one of her primary goals was to establish flagship stores across sub-saharan
Africa in the next 5 years.
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