Zambia Fashion Week Diaries (Friday)

On the second last day of Fashion Week, we saw our youngest and perhaps one of the most talented designers take the stage for the evening show, Angela Mulenga. Lunch time's show also proved to be a huge creative success with Charity Ngoma's flamboyant (and very big on the pouffe) dresses.

Charity Ngoma

Charity Ngoma

Charity Ngoma

Charity Ngoma

Charity Ngoma was perhaps the most experimental out of all the designers when it came to appliqués and close attention to detail in her outfits. Each dress had either a unique neckline, a skirt that boasted incredible shape and edge and good use of colour clashing (in a positive way as discussed before, of course).

Her venture into bridalwear left many a future wife thinking about how you can be creative and untraditional yet stick to one's tribal roots at the same time. It's not often we see colours or noticeable patterns sewn in to a wedding dress, but Ngoma's confidence in her creativity shone through as she demonstrated her dresses with long, flowing trains marked with tribal designs, neutral-toned appliqués along the bustier and loads of crinoline stuff under the skirt enough to make a debutante envious.

Angela Mulenga's follow-up that evening to Ngoma's show was greatly complimentary. Pretty satine and sparkling party dresses perfect for a formal function or a spin on the dancefloor, edgy clubwear for a woman who likes to be seen on the scene and hip casualwear demonstrated the youthful Mulenga's impressive collection.

Angela Mulenga
Angela Mulenga
Angela Mulenga

Angela Mulenga

Angela Mulenga

Certainly another favourite among the audience for Fashion Week, Mulenga's fascination with glamour and simplicity transcends through her sophisticated designs that show she is well beyond her years. At her age, she understands that fashion is more than a matter of flaunting an outfit and looking food while doing it—it's one of the primary ways a woman can express herself, no matter how old she is.

Her love of satin fabric was certainly noticeable through her smooth and shiny dresses of luscious colours, lots of calm purples, shocking reds and hot yellows showed face down the catwalk.

Mulenga doesn't stick to one theme—she decided to take on every pattern, design and colour possible and does a good job at mastering it. Including chitenge in many of her designs as well, young Zambian women were in awe when they saw the work Mulenga could do transforming a rather blah pattern into a work of art.