Anisa Mpungwe: A shining fashion export

She hit headlines when she emerged winner of the Elle new talent award in 2008 and since then she has not looked back

The road to Mamas party is here this weekend; it is a show that brings the rest of the East African nominees together as they kick start their continental campaign for awards.

The list of those on the card to entertain is a rich one with names such as Uganda’s Radio and Weasal, Kenya’s Amani, Sauti Sol and Tanzania’s Diamond will all be there.

They will be supported by DJs from South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. It is just the kind of staff you expect from these parties- a celebrity affair which is expected to throw some of our own socialites in the mix as well.

Campaigners on the social media are up in arms to support Tanzanian nominee Diamond, who has two nods at the prestigious awards; however, there is a point that is being missed here.

Tanzania in reality has two nominees whrereby the other is designer Anisa Mpungwe who is rarely mentioned in social circles in Tanzania, yet she has a global following.

Even the artiste’s profile that has been circulating in the media does not include this fashion designer who has been nominated in the Transform Today category.

In the non-musical category she battles with Clarence Peters from Nigeria, Rasty from South Africa and Leti Arts from Ghana/Nigeria where she is recognised as a young African whose works are inspiring other Africans to achieve their dreams.

Anisa won’t be around for the Road to Mama event at Bilicanas tonight, but she stresses that she would have loved to participate were it not for her preparations for their SS15 presentation for the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Cape Town which takes place in July.

Speaking to The Citizen this week from her Johannesburg base, the 29-year-old said she was elated to be named on the list and she feels honoured to be just on the list.

“I am aware that fashion is an integral part of the entertainment industry; to me it is a great honour to know that there are many Africans who look up to me as a role model,” she said.

On the fact that not much is known about her locally, the designer admits that her team had not done enough publicity in her country of birth which she fondly calls ‘home’.

Her moment of reckoning was in 2008, when she entered a national fashion competition, where she won the Elle New Talent Award, thus  becoming the first black female to earn the title.

 Her brand has since been involved in many fashion weeks in South Africa, Angola, Sweden, New York and many other fashion weeks around the world.  She was the first Tanzanian designer to showcase at the New York Fashion Week at the famous Bryant Park Tent which is home to designers like Alexander McQueen

In 2012 Anisa opened her first flagship store and in the same year, she got a nod from Solange Knowles who wore her designs for Elle Magazine cover.

With many accolades, such as winning the prestigious title of Emerging Designer of the year Africa in 2013, plus her gift to Michelle Obama, Anisa’s career seems to be earning its place in the international fashion industry.

Her fame elsewhere has been spreading at the speed of a wild bush fire, last year she collaborated with Mr Price a South African store, to help shine light on a charity project called the Red Cap Foundation.

Through the project her collections are now found in almost every Mr Price store in South Africa and on the African continent as a whole. “As a brand it is always good to have such backing in the industry, it allows us to reach the rest of the world thus improving our visibility,” says the creator of Loins Cloth and Ashes.

This was not her first collaboration as she has in the past patterned with electronics giants Samsung and LG as well.

As she prepares to come home next week, Anisa is full of confidence that the fashion industry in Tanzania can take shape and become a leading employer in the future.

“The infrastructure is slightly different in Tanzania. People don’t take fashion designers seriously, but it is about time they did because everyone wears clothes and these clothes were made somewhere by a team of people,” she says.

She adds that the onus is on the designers to make sure that whatever people see on the ramp can be accessed and it should be marketed as well.

“It is all about educating the consumer.”

It is with this belief that she founded the LCA brand with a motto that says ‘Dare to be different’ which to her is the key principle with a hint of quirky, mature sophistication.

“We make dresses that create a statement while maintaining a timeless air of luxury and style. Inspired by art, music, colour, shape, Africa and mood swings, Loin Cloth & Ashes loves a woman who is powerful and confident and carries her beauty proudly,” she says.

She states that her clothing line was mainly created as an alternative to the LBD (Little Black Dress) something that many think in a way is confidence beyond the usual.