FASHION & BEAUTY

A SNEAK PREVIEW OF SWAHILI FASHION

WEEK Lighting the Runway Ablaze

It was a successful third step in the second decade of Swahili fashion week & awards series of events in Dar Es Salaam Tanzania which featured over 45 designers from Tanzania, East Africa, Africa and beyond showcasing their talents and marketing their creativity. Being the 13th edition, Swahili Fashion Week took place from 4th – 6th December 2020 at Serena Hotel in Dar Es Salaam Tanzania.”

Founded in 2008 by a renowned fashion Guru, a celebrated Pan African couturier from Tanzania Mustafa Hassanali, his passion, zeal, tenacity and toil account tanks in this year’s victory. Swahili Fashion Week remains the biggest and largest annual fashion event in the whole of East and Central Africa providing a platform for fashion and accessory designers from Swahili speaking countries and beyond to showcase their talent, market their creativity and network with clientele and the international fashion industry.

The official launch took place on Monday November 4th at Dar es Salaam Serena hotel, to spread the good news that the fashion week was around the corner. 45 designers from different parts of the world took over the stage and displayed the magic of creativity to the clientele fashion crowd for all the three days. From Tanzania there were 34 designers/brands namely: LUNDI & SONS, ENOFITS, ANETELLA, CHUWA FASHION, MILLY’Z, DD_CRAFTS, MARIEPRINTS, EK-ANTIK, TWIGASMODE, MARTIN KADINDA, BY JV’S, MATT DESIGNS, ZADO FASHION, NKIPOSH DESIGNS, NYUZI CAD, KIKI’S FASHION, KATTY COLLECTION, LEVRA WITH CULTURE, HUSSEYN AWADH, SHAHBAAZ SAYED, NIDA TEXTILES MILLS(T)LTD , AFRICAN ATTIRE FOR ALL, TEXTURE BEAUTY SAON, JK DESIGNS, MABINTI CENTRE, ZUH FASHION, T-NGAZY, IRADA STYLE, MKWANDULE`SON, IMAQULATEDESIGNS, MAHAUMES DESIGNS, AFRIPOSH DESIGNS, BANSRI.M.ENJIMAASAI & T.E FASHION.

Internationally the stage was taken over by SUKRA SALLAH from Kenya, MORREZ FASHION & NAA LAMLEY KOUTURE from Ghana, ITES INTERNATIONAL from Grenada, UCOCO BRAND from Burundi, MARIA LAURENZA from Italy and ASHUBIRA DESIGNS, CLAVON LEONARD & DAPPER LUQ COLLECETION all the way from the U.S.A"

A way towards greatness was also created for young emerging designers in the Washington Benbella Emerging Designers Competition, where 9 nalists competed in the runway shows and one talented girl named Getrude Show won the award. Getrute is expected to showcase her rst collection in the coming edition of Swahili Fashion Week.”

Along with the runway shows, Swahili Fashion Week 2020 was comprised with various event series which includes the Designers Roundtable which took place on 7th November 2020 at Serena hotel where the showcasing designers met and addressed various fashion facts, the model auditions on November 15th at Serena hotel where over 90 young boys and girls were selected to take part in runway shows, Official launch party November 21st at Flavours Café, Pop up shop sundowner at November 27th at the official residence of the Canadian High Commissioner to Tanzania which a one day retail opportunity for designers to sell their products and the Tanzania fashion forum which was a unique forum for leaders from Tanzania’s world of fashion, textile and apparel to connect and share ideas, skills and insights and find new collaborative opportunities that can help Tanzania achieve its ambition of industrialization by 2025 held on 1st December 2020.

Swahili fashion week 2020 had a special audience attraction with over 1220 attendees for all the 3 days of the runway shows.

Swahili fashion Week opens doors for designers to showcase and be part of the next edition which will kick off from 3rd – 5th December 2021.

Swahili Fashion Week & Awards – Discover What Makes Africa Beautiful.