The Sunday News
Nigel Siziba, Sunday Life Reporter
FASHION is now more of a daily thing, it changes every day and perhaps makes the world look beautiful with the sense of variety that it brings.
The revolution in clothing trends cannot only be seen but can be touched as well. One can see and feel everything in clothes. Talking of fashion, a Ndebele label, Khwampha (there) looks determined to be among the finest local and international brands.
A talent that developed into a hobby, a hobby that grew into a business is an apt phrase to describe the fairytale of the Entumbane-born designer, Romeo Gumede who is also an entrepreneur who said when he started it was only for his personal use and nothing serious.
“It’s funny because when I started I only did it for my own use and one day I just posted a picture of four T-shirts selling them and I got 20 orders and that is when I registered the brand and started mass production,” he said.
Khwampha has received equal appreciation in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
“I started it in South Africa and then brought it home and it has received overwhelming love, I feel like in Zimbabwe they own it even in terms of naming it is in their language, I think in Zimbabwe they love it more than in South Africa,” said Gumede.
The indigenous clothing line specialises on caps, golf T-shirts, round necks and sports tights. He has dressed the likes of Mutumwa Mawere and a hip-hop artiste Cruse Africa from South Africa.
Asked about his vision for his brand he said:
“I would like this brand to be a household product, to be in every wardrobe. I want to see people using it daily like Microsoft products,” he said.
He also further explained the uniqueness of his clothing line from others.
“What I can say is that most of clothing labels are people’s names and mine is a statement and not just a statement but a statement of pride,” he said. — @_sizibanigel
