From the medical world to fashionista
Fatima Wadee-Waja followed her passion for both, writes Thobile Mazibuko
MANY successful fashion designers never started off with designing; they pursued other careers and then returned to the designing board. Fatima Wadee-Waja is one of them.
Although she’s always had a passion for fashion, Wadee, founder of Zamaan, followed her humanitarian passion. With a love for making a difference in people’s lives, she ventured into medicine and now holds two degrees: Medical Science from the University of the Witwatersrand and Physiotherapy from the University of Pretoria. After being in the medical industry for many years, Wadee decided to pursue fashion three years ago. “Three years ago, I decided to specialise in paediatric neurology. “I wrote my entrance exam, did my internship at a special needs school, and then thought, ‘I’m not sure if I want to do this for the next six years, full-time studying’. “I decided to take a break from the medical profession and focus on my other passion, fashion,” she said. Wadee used the experience she’d gathered at the fashion school where she studied as a teenager and the time spent styling her friends to get where she is today. “For years I’ve been styling my friends and I’ve always designed my own clothes. I did a fashion course for 18 months while I was in high school. “I started from scratch learning how to do pattern-making, how to put garments together. On a Saturday, for six hours over 18 months, I did that and that’s where my fashion sense began,” said Wadee. Zamaan started as a small collection with a name inspired by her daughters, Zahreen and Imaan. “And that’s how it all came about. Its website, zamaan.co.za, says: “The brand Zamaan (“Life”) takes its inspiration from the world and fusing diverse different diversities, styles and aesthetics. “The logo represents the tree of life, with roots that are authentically South African and branches that expand globally, reaching all women.” After three years in the industry, Zamaan has gained international recognition and Wadee says she enjoys pushing boundaries in the “modest fashion” industry. “I’m very grateful for being recognised locally and internationally as an upcoming brand,” she said. Wadee was chosen as one of the international designers to showcase at the Mercedes-Benz fashion week in Turin, Italy, later this year. “I’ve been told Zamaan has a unique signature. We’re very fashion forward and we don’t follow the trend. We set our own trends in the modest industry. “We source our fabrics from around the world, from countries that manufacture their own fabrics, such as Indonesia, India and Turkey. We manufacture in South Africa and in Dubai,” said Wadee. Zamaan doesn’t have a stand-alone store but mostly uses pop-up stores where young entrepreneurs are given an opportunity to showcase their work at no cost. The brand has also reached out to communities by giving seeds for every turban (ready-made doek) purchased, a project launched in August. “When we launched our turbans last year, we launched them with a ‘Fashion Family Feeding Campaign’. So with our turbans, we give seeds. “There were five olive seeds per turban that was purchased. One was for your community, another for under-privileged communities, one for your own home and two to gift to family and friends. “We then realised a lot of people cannot wait five to 10 years for an olive tree to grow. In December, we started gifting spinach seeds. We found that worked because they would grow in about six weeks and the community could start eating from it,” said Wadee. With every success comes great pressure and to maintain the standard and still remain unique, Zamaan’s collection is usually inspired by what is going on around the world. Her “modest fashion” wear is also inspired by her Islamic faith. She has shown that Muslim women can be fashion forward and still keep their religious identity. Wadee encourages people who look up to her to stay humble and not compete with anyone but themselves. “Always strive to be better in your own profession. “Don’t compete with anyone else if you want to make a mark in any career. “Don’t compete with anyone else but yourself. “Compete with yourself, improving and raising the bar as you go along. “Be humble. Don’t think of yourself as anything, we’re all here to learn. I had to start a whole new career adventure where people started one and a half decades before me. “For me it was starting afresh and it was very humbling to be at a peak of a career in medicine and then drop to fashion. “It’s being absolutely nothing in a profession where nobody knows your name, or that you even exist in this industry. “Stay true to yourself, find your unique identity, take calculated risks and find your uniqueness in your industry.” After being one of the most internationally recognised modest fashion brands, Wadee aims to expand Zamaan in Africa and uplift South Africa’s economy through fashion. For more about Zamaan, visit The Space stores nationally for turbans, and for clothing check out Hse of Bespoke at 44 Stanley in Milpark, Joburg. Follow their Instagram account, Zamaan_sa, for updates of their unique collections. Zamaan will be launching their Autumn/Winter Range tomorrow at Hse Of Bespoke.