BY KIMBERLY KARIATI
FASHION designer and visual arts director Rowan Tadiwa Sakarombe is living his dream of helping young artistes to showcase their talent through his Domane Design Agency and Corrōpt fashion brand.
The 22-year-old Sakarombe said he sharpened his skills through embracing consistency and frequent practice.
Sakarombe’s works have been recognised on local and international markets. He has also worked with artists across genres, among them Suhn, Denimwoods, Probeatz, Obi Davids and Zoe Lerae.”
Inspiration
“Growing up, art made me feel alive. I felt so much interested in music and fashion.
“Seeing how people dressed, how they interacted with everything around them made me realise, from a young age, that this is something I wanted to pursue. The progression of modern culture from how the people around me look, speak and relate to surroundings is how I understood art and still do till this day.”
Visual art, fashion designing
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“Visual art and fashion designing are forms of art as they tell a story. To envision motion in videos, you need to paint the character’s look with fashion. For fashion, you need to shoot a story in film for the clothes to carry meaning.
“Video and film-making is easy to interpret because it is a story we can see as it happens. Fashion is somewhat different in the sense of how easy it is to interpret, but it still tells a story and it changes the way you view yourself and your space.
“I dress the way I feel and when creating designs and clothing, I want someone to feel the same way I feel through the concept behind my ideas.”
View on creative industry
“The local arts industry lacks support and structure. There are a lot of individuals that can showcase their art at a global scale, but the structure is not there for creatives to take on their talents and make it their livelihood.
“All stakeholders in the industry should come together and find ways in which they utilise the creative industry to better their businesses, communities and brands. Living in a developing country like, you have to make your own space.”
Dream
“I want to create a global community through my brand that betters the lives of creatives, making it easier for them to be heard and monetise on their skills.
“A lot of young people’s dreams die early, before they truly begin their journey. I intend to stop that.”
Determination
“I am different, creatively and mentally. I have failed a lot of times, but I still push myself for the ultimate goal. I know in due time, everything will fall into place.
“Being relentless and achieving everything I set out to pursue has brought me this far. I am optimistic that I can do better.
Successes
“From visual projects to digital art collections and a fashion brand, I can honestly say that from the time I started showing my art publicly it has been positive responses.
“My first music video was called Home Alone for the artist Denimwoods, which was aired on several international channels. I did more music videos which led me to curate and script a dozen others for upcoming artistes.”
Projects
“My clothing brand, Corrōpt, has opened many doors for me. It gave me an opportunity to work with the United Nations in partnership with Zimbabwean artists Gemma Griffiths and Winky D on a campaign that promoted wearing masks to fight COVID-19.
“Seeing prominent personalities wearing your brand is humbling. I also worked with Nigerian music producer London, who works with Nigerian artiste Wizkid. Being recognised internationally and collaborating with global acts, seeing my work on television, I could not fathom the experience.”
- Follow Kimberly on twitter @lizellekimkari
