Zimpapers Logo

Tafadzwa Zimoyo

Senior Lifestyle Writer

The other side of modern politics is about fashion and smartness, and some of the international and regional political parties have over the years morphed into having fashion houses.

What people need to know is that fashion has conjured society’s dreams, challenges its norms, and reflects back what it believes.

And fashion is everywhere, including in the political arena.

In the Middle Age, sumptuary laws prohibited commoners from dressing above their station; during the French Revolution, sans-culottes wore hardy trousers as a badge of working-class pride.

Closer to us, two years back, the Black Panthers from the popular award winning movie Black Panther used clothing both to seize power and to resist it, adopting a uniform of leather jackets and berets to signify their role as a counter–police force, while in the “Greed is Good” in the 1980s, power suits and pouf skirts sublimated corporate triumphalism.

There are countless examples of this kind of intertwining.

The ruling party, Zanu PF, has not been left out in this fashion crazy.

The party’s Youth League has launched a merchandise shop under the brand name “House of Cheneso”, which is situated at the party headquarters.

Cheneso, which is a Shona word for being made smart, resembles the actual meaning of how the designer products can make you look.

As they say, clothes should make a person, just provide the garment and see the result.

From the figure hugging jumpsuits, skirts, golf t-shirts, Cuban caps and pocketed waistcoat, one would not only be spoilt for choice at House of Cheneso, but could also be confused on what to pick as all merchandise are perfect and beautiful. Seeing some of the comrades and fashion fanatics wearing the designs, you realise that jumpsuits are not a preserve of certain characters as anyone can perfectly fit in them. Zimbabweans really know how to dress when it comes to such designs.

A visit by Saturday Herald Lifestyle to the House of Cheneso shop proved that the merchandise is well articulated, designed to meet fashion standards and can compete on the international arena when it comes to fashion and designer garments.

Infact, the texture is genuine and the designs on some of the products which include overalls, work suits, face masks, skirts, bucket and sun hats, t-shirts, belts, leather shoes, jackets, shirts, hood jackets and coffee mugs are branded differently, depending on what the client wants, but the theme remains the same — Zanu PF. The designs are of excellent quality in luxurious fabrics, while some have the feminine silhouettes with a special attention to detail on the embroidery and haute couture style. The fashion brand has been well received, and during the visit to the shop by this reporter, one customer identified as Shannon Whiting was ecstatic on buying the brand.

Whiting supported the initiative and said the major compliment was that the products were authentic.

“This is a true reflection of Zimbabwe, and the brand is visible and can be easily identified,” he said.

“I have just bought my pocketed waistcoat, coffee mug and cap and I am proud to wear such. Thank you for such initiative.”

Zanu PF acting deputy secretary for Youth Affairs Tendai Chirau said  fashion and politics are inseparable.

He said this will also create employment among the youths as they have engaged some of the crème ’de la crème local designers who are assisting in the making of the various garments. Chirau shared the vision of House of Cheneso and why it is there.

“As highlighted in the previous Politiburo meeting, through a number of young people in business, we successfully managed to launch our first phase of the project which will empower and create employment to the young people in the fashion industry on top of marketing the party,” he said.

Chirau said the project will be a wholly-owned fundraising initiative of the Zanu PF Youth League, with proper accounting and bookkeeping managed by the party wing.

“The main objective of the project is to market the brand of the party, at the same time empowering the youth in the fashion industry,” he said.

“Political parties in the region, including our own sister party from the South Africa, the ANC, have successfully established both online and physical shops that sell party regalia to their membership, which has been a positive fundraising, as well as a robust campaigning strategy for the party.

“The merchandise will give a sense of belonging to the members, hence increasing their pride and loyalty to the party and will allow for the customisation of the party regalia following the modern fashion trends.”

Chirau said the brand will be marketed also on their website and there were plans to do a virtual fashion show which will assist in pushing the brand.

He said the House of Cheneso brand will be spread to various provinces.

“With the successful implementation of the first phase of the project, on the second phase, we intend to set up our own production factory which shall have industrial, sewing and embroidery machines,” said Chirau.

“We plan to set up shops in other provinces, cities and towns and during this phase more young people will be employed to serve in the shops.

“Designers will still be empowered through royalties on their designs that would have been approved for the shops and funding will be requested and or sourced to supplement locally produced merchandise by ordering in bulk some of the merchandise like from China where production is comparatively cheaper, hence making them more affordable.”

With House of Cheneso, Zanu PF is showing the world that while the party is rooted in the revolutionary ethos of the 1960s when it was formed, it is also conscious of the changing times and is moving with modern trends in all areas, including fashion.

What is important about the merchandise under House of Cheneso is that it caters for all ages, although with a bias towards the youths.