Fashion reigns in Mzuzu
Glamorous, glitzy and exquisite are some of the superlatives to describe this year’s Mzuzu Fashion Week (MzFW) as it climaxed on Saturday with a runway show and fashion awards.
It was a well packaged night full of cheers, wows and surprises when models strutted the runway and dazzled the audience with stylish designs.
But the memorable moment of it all was the inaugural 2018 Urban Music People (UMP) Fashion Awards.
Mary Chilima, wife to Vice-President Saulos Chilima, was named Fashion Icon of the year.
Celebrated musician Tay Grin added a gong to his cabinet with Most Fashionable Celebrity (Male) award, a category that had Bucci and Toast as other nominees.
In the female category, Hazel Mak outclassed Sangie and Zani Challe. Fashion Designer of the Year went to Roy View Banda, Best New Fashion Designer (PH Suits), Male Model of the Year (Stanley Matinti Biliati) and Female Model of the Year was Tunosiwe Mwakalinga.
The awards were a brainchild of UMP who used the MzFW platform to promote and celebrate Malawi’s arts, fashion and culture.
UMP coordinator Mphatso Chibota said judges and fans nominated the artists through social media and the public contributed 30 percent of the votes while the judges contributed 70 percent.
“There is a fashion industry in Malawi that is growing and we have never seen brains behind this growth being honoured. So, we thought it wise to honour those minds behind the fashion,” she said.
Tay Grin expressed delight for winning the award at a time he has been grabbing the attention for his hairstyles.
“I am very honoured to be regarded as the most fashionable celebrity in the country,” he said.
MzFw co-founder Wezi Mzumara described this year’s event as the “best so far” compared to the previous three years, saying: “We had a bigger audience and we were able to diversify the event with different activities throughout the week.”
About 20 local and international designers showcased their designs for two nights beginning Friday.
Some of the designers on the show included MisK (Mzuzu); Sallinda Fashions (Mzuzu); ChiCha Fashions (Mzuzu); SCORPII Clothing (Lilongwe); Nandi (Zimbabwe); Elias (South Africa); Tenje (Blantyre); and Wala (Lilongwe).
Abiot Malawa of Nandi, who also showcased last year, said the fashion week has improved this year as it has become “bigger and better”.
“The event is widening my brand which has now crossed borders because of this experience. I expect to penetrate more into the country and neighbouring countries,” said the Zimbabwean.
The event, hosted by comedian, Nya Uyu, was spiced up with a music performance by Theo Thomson.
