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05:37Last update on: 12 Aug 2013
The Namibian
Mon 12 Aug 2013
SMS Of The Day * MINISTRY of Gender and Child Welfare, TEARS are rolling down as I write this SMS. The killing of women in Namibia is now like reciting a poem. Are we really getting the protection we deserve while women not being treated as part of this c Food For Thought * SO the Zimbabwe elections were free and peaceful and not free and fair? Bouquets And Brickbats * NURSES at Katutura Hospital must stop wearing those big plastic sandals at work because they are not the official working shoes. We want to see you looking smart and beautiful with your full uniform. SMS Of The Day * THIS nation is in dire need of a massive conference on housing. When we experienced a crisis in the education sector a crisis-control brain-storming conference was organised which resulted in the best deal ever for the Namibian child, nam Food For Thought * BOURGEOISIE has become a daily occupation if not the order of the day of the upper-echelons, President Hifikepunye Pohamba we urge you to revisit this unpatriotic geocentricism among your staff and the well-connected, for everybody to r Bouquets And Brickbats * COMMISSIONER of Prisons, can you please explain the strategies you use to appoint officers to certain positions? It is my observation that you are being fed with wrong information then you just promote individuals without making p SMS Of The Day * I THINK Paulus ‘The Rock’ Ambunda lost his belt because of this promoter and trainer. How can a world champion still be training at the Katutura Youth Complex where there is not enough equipment. I think they must follow the example of Ha Food For Thought * NAMIBIA Dairies are unable to match low prices of imported milk and this ultimately means the consumer will have to pay more for local milk. Look at the prices of the local chicken. All these profits are going in the pockets of a few in Bouquets And Brickbats * I AM pleased to hear that Cabinet has responded positively to the proposal of Namibia Dairies to support the industry. The restrictions which support the industry by reducing competition to ensure the survival of the industry is a SMS Of The Day * CEO’s golden handshakes. Somewhere on our statute books there must be a provision that if a board of directors suspends/dismisses a CEO without due regard to legal provision (substantive/procedural law) such board must carry the costs for Food For Thought * JACKY Asheeke was so right with her last column- why are the fathers of the dead children not being prosecuted? (Reference to the children who died in shack fires last week) Our justice system still protects men over women. In this cont Bouquets And Brickbats * ALEXACTUS Kaure, your column in Friday’s newspaper opened my eyes. One hardly finds impartial case study analysers in Namibia. Let’s not destroy the Polytechnic’s strong foundation (Tjivikua) as yet. At least wait until the transf
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FASHION -
| 2013-08-10
Inside La Mode
Leah Misika
Fashion reigns in this country and yet our fashion industry is dead. I fail to understand how we have killed such a lucrative industry in our society. As a people, Namibians are very stylish and therefore we have a craving for fashion, beauty, and all that comes with it. However, as much as our industry has grown, a real foundation for this industry is yet to be laid.
I have been disappointed to find that we have a long way to go in terms of identifying talent and maintaining structure. A successful fashion industry is composed of many things, but good fashion designers are a must.
In fact, they are the reason for building the industry in the first place. It’s a vast industry so we can’t all be designers. The problem is that fashion designers are held in such high regard that everyone wants to be one.
Everyone is a designer nowadays, but how can you call yourself a designer and be proud of it when you don’t know a thing about what it actually means to be a designer?
Having a fashion line does not make you a designer, it makes you a business woman or man. If you sew, you are a seamstress, if you make clothes from sold patterns, you are a tailor, but to be a designer; you have to visualise, translate, and actualise an idea.
You have to make imagination real. If you call yourself a designer and you cannot do that please find yourself a new occupation. We can no longer tolerate ‘wannabees’ in an industry we are trying to grow. I believe the confusion lies in the notion that if you can make a garment then you can be classified as a designer. The mere fact that you painted something doesn’t make you an artist.
Now how can you expect to build a lucrative fashion industry when it is composed of self proclaimed fashion designers and inexperienced fashion professionals?
I’ve been back from studying abroad for over a year and have attended countless fashion shows, and boy do we love our fashion shows. I am disappointed to say that I was unimpressed every single time.
I have only encountered one Namibian designer, Nikola Conradie, whose design process I am not aware of, but just by attending her shows I can see the concepts, the woman she designs for, and a seamless flow in her collections. I do however have to comment on the finishing of garments with respect to all garments showcased. We as the audience can see all the unfinished seams, undone hems and pining of garments that goes on. And how do we all forget to teach our tailors and seamstresses the cardinal rule of ironing after every seam?
Yes, EVERY SEAM.
Every designer knows that if there was no ironing throughout the sewing process then don’t bother trying to iron or steam at the end. It won’t work, and your sloppy seams will show on the runway.
Designers complain all the time that people are not ready to pay the price for designer goods and why would they? No one wants to waste money on unfinished goods that don’t fit well.
With all that said; a little light can be shed on the matter; what we need to grow this industry is here. We just need to filter out all the rotten fruit and create standards that will separate the real designers from those that aspire to be. If you can show me good designers, I can show you an industry about to boom.
Leah Misika is a fashionista who is passionate about trends, tones and tendencies.
In fact, they are the reason for building the industry in the first place. It’s a vast industry so we can’t all be designers. The problem is that fashion designers are held in such high regard that everyone wants to be one.
Everyone is a designer nowadays, but how can you call yourself a designer and be proud of it when you don’t know a thing about what it actually means to be a designer?
Having a fashion line does not make you a designer, it makes you a business woman or man. If you sew, you are a seamstress, if you make clothes from sold patterns, you are a tailor, but to be a designer; you have to visualise, translate, and actualise an idea.
You have to make imagination real. If you call yourself a designer and you cannot do that please find yourself a new occupation. We can no longer tolerate ‘wannabees’ in an industry we are trying to grow. I believe the confusion lies in the notion that if you can make a garment then you can be classified as a designer. The mere fact that you painted something doesn’t make you an artist.
Now how can you expect to build a lucrative fashion industry when it is composed of self proclaimed fashion designers and inexperienced fashion professionals?
I’ve been back from studying abroad for over a year and have attended countless fashion shows, and boy do we love our fashion shows. I am disappointed to say that I was unimpressed every single time.
I have only encountered one Namibian designer, Nikola Conradie, whose design process I am not aware of, but just by attending her shows I can see the concepts, the woman she designs for, and a seamless flow in her collections. I do however have to comment on the finishing of garments with respect to all garments showcased. We as the audience can see all the unfinished seams, undone hems and pining of garments that goes on. And how do we all forget to teach our tailors and seamstresses the cardinal rule of ironing after every seam?
Yes, EVERY SEAM.
Every designer knows that if there was no ironing throughout the sewing process then don’t bother trying to iron or steam at the end. It won’t work, and your sloppy seams will show on the runway.
Designers complain all the time that people are not ready to pay the price for designer goods and why would they? No one wants to waste money on unfinished goods that don’t fit well.
With all that said; a little light can be shed on the matter; what we need to grow this industry is here. We just need to filter out all the rotten fruit and create standards that will separate the real designers from those that aspire to be. If you can show me good designers, I can show you an industry about to boom.
Leah Misika is a fashionista who is passionate about trends, tones and tendencies.
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