LOCAL fashion designer Adby Tinashe Phiri, aka ZnzorziArdby, who rose to fame in 2012 after getting a lifetime opportunity to work as an intern with South African fashion great David Tlale and where managed to be one of the two chosen from southern Africa, after sending his fashion portfolio.
Tinashe Sibanda
He was selected the only African designer at New York Fashion Week, is still proving to be a force to reckon with.
During that time he met and worked with South African greats including iconic singer Yvonne Chaka-Chaka, President Jacob Zuma’s wives, Julius Malema, choreographer Somizi Mhlongo, socialite Khanyi Mbau, gospel singer Rebecca Malope and award winning Isidingo actress Kgomotso Christopher.
ZnzorziArdby has also managed to be part of the most prestigious fashion weeks in Africa such as the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Africa as well as the Mercedes Benz Fashion week in Johannesburg.
On Saturday he got the opportunity to present his latest collection titled Blue Blooded World at the Hifa Fashion Dome.
“The collection takes inspiration from Blue Bloods, a blue blood is an aristocrat, blue bloods come from priveleged, noble and powerful families. The roots of the collection also originate from the upper class society in the Kingdom of Persia,” he said.
ND: How many awards have you won so far? How old were you when you received the first? (Describe the moment) ZA: This may sound a bit presumptuous, but I have been getting some form of award from the day I set my foot in a classroom, this includes academic awards for being the best in chemistry when I was doing my “O” Levels to getting the University Book prize. Most recently, however, I was awarded Best Emerging Designer of the Year 2013 at the Zimbabwe Fashion Awards and this was my first award since I chose the fashion path. Memories of the day I received this award are very fresh. It was a surreal moment considering the fact that it was my first ever collection that I designed and getting an award for the first time of doing anything is the biggest honour ever, that is why I treasure the award so much.
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ND: Have you ever made a collection that made you really nervous because you weren’t sure how people would take it? Describe the experience? ZA: I would like to believe that almost every designer in the world gets nervous when they make a fashion collection mainly because designers present their collection six months to a year ahead of the consumer, so a designer can only be sure that their collection has been a success once the consumer has access to them.
Money is invested in making a collection which is the other reason that would give a person a reason to panic. Personally the one that really made me nervous was our recently awarded collection entitled True Zimbabwean Story that we presented at Zimbabwe Fashion Week last season. It made me really nervous mainly because it was too conceptual that either the fashion audience was going to get it or not. Its story was centralised on a lady that was going to hunt down the woman that had bought the dress that she had saved for all her life. During the show models were covered in an after fight make up and where holding red-stained Russel Hobbs knives. It was really my intention to engage the audience in this presentation to show the lengths that a woman could go to get the dress of her dreams. Telling this story made me really nervous because there was a risk that the audience would get a negative connotation of the show but luckily they all got it right and it ended up getting an award at the end.
ND: Tell me more about your family and briefly describe how you balance family time, your career and maybe time to yourself(if any)? ZA: I come from a very huge prayerful family where love is the cornerstone and everybody does their absolute best to support one another in anything be it career, marriage, the good and the bad times. Family time is very important to me because this is the chance to engage and share our deepest desires and to share memories, the dramatic, sober and happy ones. At home we achieve this through having meals at the same time or on any other family gathering on special days like birthdays and Christmas. As for my career I believe that I work 24/7 since fashion is about observing how people live, the latest trends and even where the wind is blowing,on a personal note I meditate a lot I listen to the inner soft voice in me that is easy to ignore and that makes me calm and appreciate everything I have at this point in my life.
ND: Your love life: who is the lucky person? How long have you been together? Any plans on marriage and children? ZA: I’m currently in a relationship with an amazing person, one who adores me and like I adore them. I can definitely climb on top of a mountain and shout I am in love. Marriage and children are definitely coming in the near future, but for now at 24 years I’m going to build a strong career first.
ND: You seem to have managed to maintain one hairstyle over the years. What’s the secret behind it and how often do you maintainit? ZA: Working in the fashion industry I came to understand that it’s important to have a style that is exclusive and looks good on you.Most celebrated fashion icons the world over are celebrated bcause the look a certain way, for example, Karl Lagerfeld, the legendery designer for the House of Chanel, has mantained the same ponytail hairstyle for the past 40 years. The hairstyle can represent something more its part of branding so my hairstyle tells part of my story, but the major secret is that the shape of my face, and from the day I had it I receive endless compliments, I generally update it every week and every time that happens I feel renewed.
ND: Who dresses you for your red carpet or any other special events? ZA: I dress myself or support any other designer that does garments that are visualy arresting be it local or international.
ND: What particular clothing labels and accessories are you a sucker for? ZA: I put my hands down on Alber Elbaz of Lanvin and Ozwald Boateng, the clothes they make are timelessly beautiful, they are fresh they are minimalistic and most importantly desirable. When I watch their runway shows I get a feeling that the day I put that on my back the other puzzle of my life will be sorted.
ND: What’s your best and worst feature physically and character wise? ZA: My best feature would have to be my chin I think I have the most perfect beard they are not too much not too little, but just enough to impress me. I’m yet to find my worst feature. Character wise, I’m very genuine and I have a genuine interest in people how they view life, what they want to achieve and why they do what they do and what drives them. But most importantly I would say I’m very loving and caring.
ND: What do you like doing in your free time? ZA: I love catching up with friends, dance a little bit and laugh a lot. I also take my free time to meditate and find inner peace. I also love travelling to new places I love places that are beautiful and are rich in the story they tell.
ND: What are your worst fears? ZA: My worst fear is to never have tried something I’m passionate about and always wonder how it could have gone or the story I could have told .So I always try anything I strongly believe in.
ND: What advise can you give to aspiring designers in Zimbabwe who want to be stars? ZA: Although I believe that I’m not there yet, I was told by a legendary South African songstress that to be a star I need three things which are to do what I love, to pray and to have lots of faith, a formula that I have tried of late and it’s producing results.
