Zimpapers Logo

Mirirai Nsingo
JAN-JAM founder, Cynthia Bizure-Sithole, arguably one of the biggest names in fashion in Zimbabwe, says she is driven by passion and hard work arguing that she really has no secret for her success.

Speaking to Saturday Lifestyle, supported by beau Tanaka Sithole just after opening her third Jan Jam shop in Harare Central Business District on Tuesday, the Jan Jam boss said hard work had brought her this far although noting that this had not come without challenges.

“I won’t really say that there is any secret to success but I’m just one person who is driven by passion, works hard and I’m a go getter.

“Whenever I want something, I can go that extra mile even in the face of challenges,” she said reminiscing on how she started just as a cross-border trader who would board buses with several other women to South Africa to buy wares for sale back home.

Today that woman, who would wear Winnie Mandela signature doeks to ensure that her hair is not messed up, now travels as a luscious looking mother of three, albeit looking way good for a mother, aboard luxury airlines as her business has grown beyond getting her passport stamped at Beitbridge border post!

But it is not all rosy, Cynthia says while there has been so much transition in Zimbabwe’s fashion industry, there was need to solve the issue of exorbitant taxes, which still posed as a major challenge to the growth of the industry.

“The greatest challenge the industry is facing is that of high taxes when we import our products. The taxes are 100 percent and this has resulted in us charging high prices.”

“Imagine, for example, you buy a pair of shoes in China for $10 and you are charged $10 tax for that shoe, surely already this has already doubled the price that I bought it for. I haven’t even factored in other costs as yet and so forth but the tax has already doubled the price.”

It is harebrained in a nation that has not kick-started its economy yet again to start producing. Cynthia would rather source locally some high-end merchandise but none is being produced here as yet.

The fashion guru says she is still to be made to understand the rationale of charging the high taxes which she believes are limiting the growth of this industry

“At end of the day, I have no option but to put up high prices so that I can also make profit. I want Jan Jam to cater for all in Zimbabwe but due to those high taxes, only (our equivalent of) the middle class at the moment can afford to shop in Jan Jam.
“It is my prayer that the issue of taxes can be addressed so that the consumer can enjoy reasonable and fair prices.”

Cynthia is impressed with the pace of fashion taste change in the country, recollecting the resistance that came with the introduction of slim fit men pants.

“The fashion industry has remarkably improved and I mesmerised at the way slim fit men’s pants have finally been embraced. It was such a struggle to introduce this style which was perceived to be feminine by many.”
But the metrosexual age has come and is here to stay it would seem.

“How times have changed, even my father now puts on slim fit suits and looks perfect in them. I have been in this industry for almost a decade and I can say I have seen a transition in the industry. We cannot compare it to Dubai or other countries because Zimbabwe is a developing country but yes the transition has been significant.”

Her prayer is to dress Zimbabweans across all provinces as she hopes to open shops across the country in the future.
And as winter creeps in, Harare has a warm sparkle where they will make a beeline for the latest winter fashion trends all thanks to a strong vibrant woman business entrepreneur!