Jilia Kandjimbi (25), a designer and artistic director of Ish Namibia, has been chosen to symbolize Namibia on the Africa Style Reception present in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, this 12 months.
The 2-day celebration of pan-African cultural range and expertise is scheduled for 25 to 27 October.
This is without doubt one of the largest occasions within the African trend business, says Kandjimbi, who holds a diploma in trend design and visible utilized arts from Faculty of the Arts (Cota).
She says the occasion can be attended by designers throughout the African continent.
“I’ve been chosen to symbolize our nation as a showcasing designer. It could imply a lot to me to attend, as not solely do I get the prospect to wave our flag excessive, but additionally to develop my expertise within the strategy of assembly different designers, which I can switch to my fellow Namibians upon my return,” Kandjimbi says.
The designer has been concerned in quite a few firms and occasions, together with the Katutura Style Week, the Break Free Style Present to finish gender-based violence, Normal Financial institution, and High Rating Namibia.
She says representing Namibia overseas would advance her profession.
Regardless of being glad to be the one native designer chosen, the designer says she nonetheless wants help to have the ability to attend this occasion.
“I want monetary help to pay the attendance price, which is US$1 000 (N$17 970),” she says, including she additionally wants cash to pay for her flights, that are at present estimated to price N$15 600.
“As an rising designer, I’m working onerous to have the ability to cowl the prices of making my assortment, which is able to embrace 10 appears, however I don’t have the monetary sources to cowl all the prices concerned.”
Africa Style Reception was based in 2013 to empower girls and younger folks concerned in numerous sides of the style business by way of the supply of coaching, capacity-building schemes, workshops, and the institution of small and medium enterprises, thereby supporting the African Union Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Growth Objectives.
Kandjimbi has collaborated with M&Z Motors and Mercedes-Benz to debut her assortment, Match by Ish, in 2020.
She started her modelling profession 10 years in the past and was Miss Mining Namibia 2017, and Miss Walvis Bay 2018.
She completed among the many high 30 of the Miss Namibia pageant in 2019.
Kandjimbi began Ish Namibia in 2017.
The upcoming occasion has impressed her to create Ish Designs, an organization that gives Namibia’s trend fanatics ready-to-wear clothes, she says.
Supply: namibian
