Haus of Stone, a fashion label based in Harare, will showcase at Mozambique Fashion Week in December and they have a special offering which they will present at the annual fashion meet.

The label recently unveiled its spring/summer 2019 collection, an inspiring mix of summery garments that invoke sentiments of the royalty of times gone by, while simultaneously seeming to call you to finally experience the freedom that so many of us seek.

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They call it ‘Ode to Askana.’

 

Haus of Stone - Ode to Askana

 

Mozambique Fashion Week is the largest Fashion event in Mozambique and one of the largest in Africa. The 2018 edition, set for December 5-9, will be themed ‘The Future is Africa.’  It will “highlight the role that our continent has in the inspiration and influence of the trends of the future.” Haus of Stone will be joined by Leverange as the two Zimbabwean designers showcasing this year.

Danayi Chapfika-Madondo, owner and creative director of Haus of Stone, spoke to Zimbo Jam about her new collection and the new energy of her work.

Haus of Stone - Ode to Askana

 

What is the inspiration behind ‘Ode to Askana?’  

‘Askana’ is the Shona (Manyika) word for ‘girl’, so this collection is a visual poem or collection dedicated to all the powerful women out there that have overcome adversity and continue to press on.

Pieces from ‘Ode to Askana ss18/19’ are named after various women of note from across the African continent. Lord knows that there are too many women of note to mention & not enough pieces in our collection to truly pay homage to them all, but we opted for the few women &/or groups that resonated with our brand’s spirit.

Haus of Stone - Ode to Askana

 

Is there a special message you are trying to convey?

The main subject matter is on ‘healing,’ so there is a lot of significance in the location, fabrication & shades we chose for this particular collection. We shot the campaign for this collection in Domboshawa, a place known for prayer, spiritual healing & love. The light, off-white, ivory shade represents peace, tranquillity & simplicity, The linen fabrication is light and breathable. All these elements come together to generate a conducive environment for ‘healing’. We also had to give a shout-out to our  Zimbabwean culture/ heritage by incorporating unique styling elements such as the binga baskets and traditional dancing beads. Our quirky, ‘out the box’ styling has always been our little Haus Of Stone signature.

The main subject matter is on ‘healing,’ so there is a lot of significance in the location, fabrication & shades we chose for this particular collection. We shot the campaign for this collection in Domboshawa, a place known for prayer, spiritual healing & love. The light, off-white, ivory shade represents peace, tranquillity & simplicity,

Haus of Stone - Ode to Askana

 

Haus of Stone has been quiet for some time. There seems to be a lot of fresh energy with the brand. Do you want to talk about that a little bit?

We have been quiet for almost two years, and during that hiatus, it gave me time as the owner & creative director, to re-evaluate the space I wanted to occupy within the fashion industry & to work on my brand ethos and direction.

The state of the Zimbabwe fashion industry, alongside our ‘interesting’ economy, can be very challenging. Although I remain in the same Zimbabwe during interesting economic times, my attitude and approach have changed. Before, I was racing for success. Now, I am more focused on racing to get it right, therefore the growth may be slower, but that then makes the foundation more solid.

I genuinely feel like this is my best collection, so I am excited to talk about it.

The state of the Zimbabwe fashion industry, alongside our ‘interesting’ economy, can be very challenging. Although I remain in the same Zimbabwe during interesting economic times, my attitude and approach have changed…

 

All photography by @zashcraft (Ngonidzashe Chinhara)
The Ode to Asana collection is available in Harare at Rungano Rwedu Boutique, Arundel Village.