Light at the end of the tunnel



Mediocre fashion shows, fame hungry young man and woman being reffered to as ‘’models”, branding masters and overnight modelling agencies are what defines the Swazi fashion industry at present. In the midst of all this turmoil we have exceptional models, world class fashion shows and designers who meet international designs.

Imitsanyelo we Fashion Front is giving Swaziland well deserved fashion shows. The founders have given us fashion lovers and critics something to really look forward to. The whole production is outstanding.Imitsanyelo We Fashion Front gives one that Paris Fashion week or Milan fashion week front raw seat experience. I dare you not to miss The Jozi meets Swaziland Winter Fashion show in June.

The fierce Sasha Groening has given Swaziland an international standard modelling agency. The agency has casting calls with clear indications that not every Tom, Dick and Harry can be one of the agencies models. Unlike the other models where you get the directors number and instantly become a model. Face Modelling and Casting Agency has shown to understand the dynamics of the international modelling industry and the fact that quality is better than quality. The products agency is producing exceptional models such as Nandi Alexander who featured in the July 2012 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine, page 35 and for the Steve Madden campaign in South Africa.



Model Coralee in Gazibo wear at the RVK Fashion Week



Who can ever forget Phiwa Tshangela?  Our very own Naomi Campbell. Ntshangela earned her striped when we woke up headlines of a Swazi model going to walk the ramps in Italy. Italy is a really big deal; Milan is one of the worlds fashion capitals. Extraordinary model include former Global Looks model Phumlile Mthande who has achieved in her own right global recognition. Having appeared on TLC ads as a promotional model for their wipes, South African magazines, various TV commercials and runway shows in London, she is still to date the only model who has achieved that much success outside of local boarders.

The antique JEREMPAUL and classy Elijah le’mark. Fashion houses in Swaziland by fashion designers that have creative prowess and skills at par with the likes of David Tlale.Khulekani of JEREMPAUL are our own Fashion God has taken the Swazi fashion industry to greater heights. Elijah le’mark the fashion house owned by Lihle Dlamini, a graduate of UNISWA has remained relevant and set the fashion trends. Master pieces, class and elegance are what Lihle is all about. His fashion visionary and strive for perfection always reflects in his work.

The RVK fashion week that took place at the Ditsong National Museaum for Cultural History from April 10 -12, proved that indeed there is light at the end of the tunnel. Swazi fashion house Gazibo proudly showcased at the RVK.Then we had our very own beautiful Model Coralee Vilakati open at the fashion show. Coralee is very ambitious, with a body to die for and certainly one to watch.

All those mentioned deserve a round of applause . Who are our unsung heroes or heroines of the Swazi fashion Industry? Our every own stars, all hail, we respect and honour you.

Khulekani showcases in New York Fashion Week barely a month after Maswane showcased in the Paris Fashion Week ….

JEREMPAUL collection

Khulekani Sweli, Maswane Dlamini,   Tom Ford, Roberto Cavalli, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Coco Channel, Steve Madden, Victoria Beckham, David Tlale and Gert-Johan Coetzee .All these names should be on the tip of every fashionista tongue and every fashion bloggers data base. But the first two names on the list are hardly there if not there at all. We want them there and they are going to get there. There should be no barrier, no external force that will stop Khulekani and Maswane define African global fashion trends and be lead international designers .We need a massive operation for this one thus lets take on operation “Operation  Takeover”.

The first step of the operation is to have a law that governs the professions in Swaziland. People are letting the profession down, like seam stresses and the new crop of “fashion designers” that I will coin as “branding masterminds” have taken the industry by storm.  According to the Occupational Output Handbook, fashion designers create original clothing, accessories, and footwear. They sketch designs, select fabrics and patterns, and give instructions on how to make the products they designed. .If a brand master or seamstress or just any individual starts wrongfully referring themselves as a designer they need to be fined or jailed. It seems ridiculous but a profession without standards and respect can never achieve great heights.

The second step of the operation is to stop remaining small and go big. It’s ok to start off in a small backroom office but we need fashion houses in Swaziland. When the people that have the potential and skills are hiding and trading as local seamstresses, we do not have hope. Its time we have our own Fendi,Gucci or Moschino.

The next logical step of our operation is to have a mall or section of a mall where each real Swazi designer has a store.  For example, Centria Mall in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. Our designers have to start running campaigns and showcasing at fashion shows not the newspapers.EMC design in Manzini is a great example. Who can ever forget Cherry- N.It’s critical for Swazis to understand that if its couture you got to pay for it and not everyone can afford it, one can try the work of branding masters or Mr Price if they cannot afford.

The second is emphasis on fashion school. School is very important; a qualification does not pay bills and does not guarantee success but does guarantee excellence in designer pieces. According to the Occupational Output Handbook, fashion designers must have a bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as fashion design or fashion merchandising. For Example David Tlale in 2003 enrolled for a degree in Fashion Design at Vaal University of Technology. Government should make sure that a qualification from fashion school is made a provision at registration of designers and fashion houses in Swaziland and ensure that every designer is registered. There is absolutely no excuse because the University of Swaziland offers a Bachelor of Science in Textile and Apparel Design and Management.

Lastly, the Swazi government and institutions have a huge role to play, through offering scholarships at fashion school, jailing and fining the branding masterminds, Building the Fashion house mall and offering start up capitals to graduates of any related fashion field.

Operation Takeover seems ambitious but can be executed. Swaziland needs to be a player at a global level and achieve international success in all areas, fashion design is no exception. The good is that the talent is readily available what is missing is the hunger to have the names of Swazi designers on most fashion spreads and ultimately on the Forbes lists. What are your thoughts on the Swazi designers and the industry? Is Operation Takeover overly ambitious just like the headline? Dreams do come true right?

Top Iconic Juicy Face Model and Casting Agency- Africa’s Top Modelling Agency





Models on the ramp at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week SA



The modelling industry is a lucrative business globally worth billions of dollars. Sadly, the industry in Swaziland merely has nothing to offer. Swaziland has four modelling agencies; Face Modelling and Casting Agency, Top Models, Icon Models Swaziland and the newly established Juice Models. These modelling agencies are just out in the public with their scouts that recruit every “aspiring model” or ‘’raw talent” to their new faces or “new finds’’ list being plastered on our weekend newspapers.

We rarely have fashion shows in Swaziland and when we do, they are ‘’mediocre” fashion shows. One who watches Fashion TV instantly knows the modelling industry in Swaziland is doomed or worse, it is just non-existent. The question is, “Where are we getting it wrong and how we can fix it and well is it possible to fix it?”

Firstly, we look into the model scouts roaming the streets searching for ‘’raw talent”.  It is time we get it through that with the leading international modelling agencies such Ford Models (rated by Forbes as the Most Influential Agency in 2011) specially trained personnel scout for models. It is not just someone who woke up with this dream of having a couple of girls and boys work for him/her. The modelling industry is serious business; you know your models have to open at the Paris Fashion week thus its quality over quantity. One step is guiding and educating model scouts on what quality is defined as in the industry.

It is more than the age, height and dress height. Every Tom, Dick and Harry can figure this one out, and this is what we see in the casting calls in Swaziland. There should be international specifications such as bust size and well we still wonder why we have failed to produce models that can take the international stage by storm.

Secondly, we look at the management and who owns these modelling agencies. I have passion for modelling; can literally watch Fashion TV all day and have never missed any of Tyra’s American Top Model episodes and anticipated Africans Top Model. Oh, and wait I got scouted countless times and walked the ramps in Swaziland, so that qualifies me to effectively run a modelling agency?

How do we fix it? It’s not so bad. It is good to be willing to get girls and boys off the street and groom them, but seemingly the philanthropist approach is costing us loads. When we look at the world’s leading modelling management such as BMA models based in London, we know this is a serious business. I guess this is why Tara Banks and Naomi Campbell still do not have their own modelling agencies. Tara never said the winners of American Top models will win a contract with her agency but a management contract with Ford Models, a $100, 000 contract with Cover Girl, and the opportunity to appear in a top magazine.

Thirdly, we turn the spotlight on the fashion shows and our very own fashion week. Models are invited as part of the entertainment in some shows “so people look at girls.” It’s a let-down to an industry that has so much potential. Then the fashion shows which are just poorly organised and lack the “wow” factor that international fashion shows have. For example, the fashion shows at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is just a big deal, Soweto Fashion week is a big deal, come to Swaziland it is just a joke. It is more like a bunch of girls, wearing heels and trying their luck in the “celeb Ville’’. Modelling is a professional career and fashion shows are serious business.

It is time we take strides to fix our modelling industry if we want to take on the big league we have to be ready and fix our small industry. Can we have our own Candice Swanepoel?  How do we produce quality models who meet international standards?