Homegrown launches T-Shirt design competition

Homegrown, an entrepreneurial brand, officially opened submissions for its 2026 T-Shirt Design Competition in Windhoek on Monday.

The initiative is designed to bridge the gap between Namibia’s creative talent and the commercial fashion industry.

Under the theme of ‘Design It! Wear It! Sell It!’, the project aims to help young designers convert artistic concepts into market-ready enterprises.

Homegrown spokesperson Clayton Jacobs says the competition focuses on fostering ‘design-preneurs’ through a system of ownership.

While there is “a mountain of potential” in the country, it is often silenced by a lack of capital and opportunity, he said.

“We aren’t just looking for beautiful designs to sell. We are looking for the architects of a new Namibian economy,” he said.

A previous winner, Reggie Films, said: “There’s not a lot of opportunities that come up for the youth, and when something like this has come up, you want to grab it with both hands.’’

The winner of the competition will receive a N$50 000 cash prize.

To encourage an understanding of passive income and scalability, the top five finalists will also earn a 15% commission on every sale of their design. This ensures that creators own a piece of the machine rather than just selling their art once.

The initiative is supported by partners including Stuttafords, Fresh FM, ZEST Restaurant, and Promogenix Media.

Fresh FM station manager Kcee said the goal is to physically, tangibly uplift somebody and give them a good opportunity’’.

The competition is open to all Namibian residents between the ages of 18 and 35 and the submission window closes on 21 March.

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