Chenesai’s Fashion Futures set for intriguing debut

Fashion Futures, a collaborative project led by Chenesai in partnership with British Council and Nataal Media, is excited to debut on 16th January 2020.

The new body of work will be simulcast in four countries – Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and the UK – with unique installations simultaneously showcased live from each country.

Over the past year, four diverse storytellers – Zimbabwean visual artist Lucia Nhamo, British-Ghanaian writer, curator, and visual anthropologist Adjoa Armah, Malawian beauty and wellness expert Thokozani Phiri and Namibian design and fashion creative Leah Misika – carried out groundbreaking research on sustainability within the fashion industry.

Each of them produced stories for a country other than their own – Lucia for the UK, Adjoa for Zimbabwe, Thokozani for Namibia and Leah for Malawi. Following research trips, they worked closely with global media brand Nataal to produce compelling multimedia reports. These new narratives explore emerging fashion sectors across southern Africa and the UK in order to successfully uplift and connect these fledgling ecosystems.

For the launch, Namibia will host a Fashion Futures Cocktail night including a presentation and a small exhibition that will show the evolution of Leah’s findings. Her work will also be presented in Katima Mulilo to the fashion sector because the Fashion Futures journey inspired a new direction for Leah and her fashion brand.

Zimbabwe will host a Fashion Futures mixed live installation that will celebrate the articles of Lucia Nhamo and Adjoa Armah. Incorporating a traditional braai, spoken word, and a model presentation, the installation will be led by Zimbabwean Fashion houses Natai Natai, Soul’D dreams, Chenesai Brand and creative consortium Domane.

The Fashion Futures launch in Malawi will include a fashion showcase at the British Council offices in the Lilongwe City Centre. It will include a discussion on secondhand clothing as well as a display of local designers who are creating sustainable fashion in the country.

Now, the multinational launch of Fashion Futures reflects the nature of the project, which aims to build capacities in fashion sectors across the continent and beyond. The final works are published on Nataal, together with a project overview written by Tatenda Kanengoni, who was part of the project documentation team in Zimbabwe.

“Fashion Futures puts into perspective the trading value of the fashion sector, which is oftentimes overlooked particularly on the African continent. We are excited about the multinational launch because it is reflective of the future of work, a future that acknowledges cross-sector collaboration in order to harness and advance talent,” says Chenesai.

Fashion Futures presser