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Chipo Mapondera Fashion
Get to know some top local designers and pick a trick or two!
Yemurai Mpinyuri of House of Yemurai, Yvonne Ndawana of Alpha Rose and Lily-Anne Markham of LAMGetting into design:
Yemurai: I started designing and making clothes for friends and it blossomed from there.
Yvonne: Five years now

Lily-Anne: When I was a child. I grew up in the boon docks of Malawi, and Barbie and Ken needed outfits for different occasions.
Training:
Yemurai: I took Fashion and Fabrics as a subject in high school, and then studied at the Melbourne School of Fashion for a year, completing a BA Fashion Design at LISOF in Johannesburg.

Yvonne: I trained at the Clothing Industry and Technical Institute (CITI).
Lily-Anne: I earned a degree in the UK for Costume and Stage Design so it was an easy transition into fashion. I also have experience in sales, merchandising, buying, production and marketing. I have found my career niche in the business side of fashion.
Design aesthetic:

Yemurai: Cool, contemporary comfort. I always aim for a balance in “wear-ability” and ingenuity. I also love working with my hands so all my print work is hand painted or screen-printed onto each garment.
Yvonne: Contemporary, feminine cuts with an effortless elegance to accentuate the female form. Ours is a celebration of womanhood.
Lily-Anne: I am still finding it and it is changing as I grow but I am business-minded and design with my customer in mind.
Why is fashion challenging and, despite this, why do you continue?

Yemurai: The market is extremely saturated with not only great designers but also retail brands that are producing garments at such competitive prices. I believe that in keeping my brand niche I will ultimately have a loyal following because my designs are unique and manufactured in small runs.

Yvonne: There are very limited resources to finance and market one’s brand effectively but I continue because with perseverance comes great rewards and I love a challenge!
Lily-Anne: The fashion industry is challenging because of “fast” commercial fashion. Independent brands and small design houses struggle to compete with their price point as those companies have huge factories in the Far East. I believe consumer mindsets are moving away from “fast fashion” and the average shopper wants something unique. My dream is to promote production in Zimbabwe for an export market.

Favourite designer:
Yemurai: Isabel Marant, Stella McCartney, Elie Saab and Marc Jacobs, to name a few.
Yvonne: Georges Hobeika, Tony Ward and Alberta Ferretti
Lily-Anne: Erdem and Mary Katrantzou for prints, Stella McCartney for her silhouettes and tailoring, and Derek Lam and Jonathan Saunders for detail.

Favourite trends this summer:
Yemurai: White is so effortless and chic. Another big trend is jumpsuits in bright bold colours or prints. And for the brave ladies with knockout bodies, crop tops are huge this summer.
Yvonne: Monochrome, florals and transparency.

Lily-Anne: Clashing prints, the pyjama suit, double denim, chunky, wooden “platform” shoes, and the return of 90s Grunge and dip-dye hair.

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