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MANY of the things we engage in today at times appear futile, meaningless and an utter waste of time.

We appear in a hurry to abandon them, chasing the next “exciting” fad.

However, at some point in the future, if and when we care to reflect on our past, it is possible to identify the nexus.

For 25-year-old Kwekwe-born designer, Ropafadzo Tsitsi Mupambwa, connecting the dots now makes the whole picture sharper, clearer, clarifying the link between the past, the present, the transformational impact on her life, and defining a future trajectory.

Mupambwa, now lives in Canada and is the strategist and creative designer behind the footwear and dress accessory label, Celyn Roze.

She says, her mother, a former model, taught the young Ropa tailoring and sewing and is the inspirational source of the creative designer’s work.

That earlier phase of her life, when she learnt from her mother, is proving handy for the young Mupambwa, who is living her dream in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Two years ago, at 23, she launched a line of fashion accessories in the form of footwear, clutch and handbags.

She has since established a shop in Alberta, Canada, where she sells her creations, under the label Celyn Roze.

She custom designs shoes and the signature clutch and handbags and the label, Celyn Roze, part of her mother’s name.

 The designer explains: “I wanted the shoe line to be in my mother’s name. She is my biggest inspiration, my hero, my everything.

“All I am today is because of her sacrifices and her hard work and love for me.”

Her shoes, she explains, are high quality footwear and have five height options, with flexibility, making for a “unique shopping experience.”

Explained Mupambwa: “With all the different height options, people need to be dressed by mood, occasion, comfort and daily activities they will be undertaking that day, because one’s height option affects one’s confidence.

“The signature orange soles are about what you are comfortable walking in, contributing to a memorable walking experience.

“I wanted to create a one-stop-shop for women. I wanted my brand to be different,” she said during an interview this week. 

“I wanted to solve a problem in the shoe industry. So, I created five heel heights in the same shoe to give women options to buy shoes they can actually walk in and feel the most beautiful in.”

Celyn Roze, she explains, is a one-stop-shop for the whole family, group of friends and wedding parties because everyone who walks into her shop will find a pair of shoes they can walk in. 

There are more than a dozen colours to choose from.

The transition from a concept/idea to actuality is the most challenging for many. Reflecting on her experience, Mupambwa says she was confident and believed in her idea.

“I had a vision of what I wanted, so I kept pushing on and working hard until I saw the concept coming to life and on shelves in the store. 

“When I am designing, I have in mind everyone — all ages and their fashion style in mind. I try to think about where they will go, what they can pair the shoes with and I think about creating something unique that they have not seen, and picking out colours that are eye-catching — shoe colours they never thought they would see in stores.”

The statement she is making in her designs, she explains, is that people should be able to buy what they can walk in and be beautiful in any heel height they wear — in other words, be true to your feet, expressing yourself in shoe colours and designs.

Mupambwa creates all the designs for each and every footwear and all the bags, then works with a factory that produces for her. 

Her horizon is presence in at least three continents — Africa included — in the next five years.

 In Zimbabwe, the Mupambwa’s rural home is in Zvimba. She was born in Masasa Park in Kwekwe but moved to Canada 12 years ago.

To emphasise her African and Zimbabwean roots, she gives her creations names such as Kunashe and Hazvinei, for example.

She last visited home in 2018.