Poor upbringing inspires local designer
TWNENTY-EIGHT-yea r-old fashion designer Jeremiah Mubaiwa, the founder and head designer of Revenge Fashions, says his work is inspired by his poor upbringing which saw him having no decent clothes to wear after he lost his mother while in Grade Four.
Revenge Fashion is one of the fast-rising startup fashion brands which has dressed big names such as Seh Calaz, Poptain, Boss Gaga and many others.
The brand specialises in all designs — old and modern, shirts, jeans, tracksuits, sweaters, jackets and many more.
“My inspiration comes from my life experiences, the way I grew up. I come from a poor background where I lacked clothes to wear and so forth,” Mubaiwa said.
“My mother died when I was in Grade 4. Since then life was never been the same, I lacked many things as a child like clothes and I used to envy other kids who had nice clothes.
“Now I can make my own clothes in any way I wish. It's like I am revenging what I couldn’t do, hence the name Revenge Fashion.
“My designing story started when I went to South Africa looking for greener pastures just like any other young Zimbabwean who has had it hard in the motherland.
“I started working for an Indian man called Mr James. I discovered that my boss was into sewing and during my spare time I taught myself how to sew. I became good at it and that’s how I ended up as my own boss — a fashion designer.”
Mubaiwa wishes to take his brand further and beyond the Zimbabwean borders.
“I am privileged to have dressed some of the biggest names in Zimbabwe and I wish to take it further and beyond. I have managed to get trust from all these people because I can tell that I am flexible enough to listen to my clients, I prioritise their ideas,” he said.
“My wish is to impact the world through fashion, I want to spread the good news message from Zimbabwe and Africa to the world.”
Mubaiwa described fashion as being determined by culture.
“For me, fashion is an art which includes popular or latest styles of clothing. Fashion should have the flexibility to suit all ages. The most important thing I have noticed is that fashion is determined by culture, fashion is culture revealing itself through clothing and accessories,” he said.
“Fashion is also a behaviour at a given time, with a strong implication that fashion is characterised by change at any time.”