There is a new wave on the urban fashion scene in Zimbabwe as more and more designers venture into apparel for the young, hip and trendy. Two such initiatives, 729 Apparel and Base Jeans were recently celebrated by a fashion show at Arcadia Community Centre.
729 Apparel is the brainchild of local celebrity DJ Raydizz. He has evolved his love for hip hop to encompass its four elements; rap, DJing, dance and graffiti art. The 729 Apparel logo includes a pair of wings, a crown and a map of Africa.
He told Zimbo Jam, “It’s more than a fashion statement; it’s about the artistic expression of an idealistic consciousness and vision that exudes originality and individuality, yet promoting oneness”.
His bold tees make a statement with their bright colours and messages and made a mark during HIFA, where a number of people wearing them were stopped many times by people asking where they could buy them.
Buy why 729? The numbers spell out R.A.Y. on a mobile keypad (no guys, not QWERTY!) an acronym for Rising African Young, a notion which Raydizz firmly believes in; it is time for Africa’s young to rise!
Accompanying the tees at the fashion show, the models wore various well cut, Italian-designed jeans, provided by Base Jeans of Westgate, Harare, the local franchise for the international urban apparel manufacturer.
During the show, 8 models were selected to hold title ‘Face of Base’ for the year 2013. They are female models Dayna Manuel, Nastassia Peters, Maree Peters and Tiyana Fernoughty along with male models Anton Milner, Munashe Moyo, Tinashe Chiwara and Khamil Mohammed.
Delroy Benatar of Base Jeans was excited about the show and promoted the brand by inviting the public to purchase true quality jeans. He added, “From the show, Base Jeans store will also be selling 729 Apparel merchandise so the public is invited to come and visit us at Westgate Shopping Centre”.
The fashion show was organised by events management company EvenTams.
A beautiful red and black theme flowed throughout the hall and the show started at 8.30pm with an excited crowd settling into their seats while DJs Atlanta Kid and The Dude served up some entertaining music.
MCing for the night, Empress Eyahra kept the crowd in stitches as she told the story of 729 Apparel and Base Jeans and called the models to the ramp for the different collections.
Concluding the show, Raydizz expressed the desire for more designers to get recognised. “The show was dope and diverse. It was good to see the talent from Zimbabwe being recognised and showcased. We need more shows like this and more street inspired fashion shows to grow.”
:: See more pictures of the models in 729 Apparel & Base Jeans