It’s a wrap on Fashion Weekend Zimbabwe 2013’s inaugural edition; held at the Glasshouse (Borrowdale Race Course, Harare) on 2 November 2013, what is to become an annual event was launched with a jam-packed gala evening of fashion, music and food.
Fashion Weekend Zimbabwe delivered on all 3 aspects, showcasing 11 local fashion designers and 1 international fashion designer between a 2-course dinner and musical performances by Audius Mtawarara and Shingi Mangoma. It was a lot crammed into one night, with the event kicking off with a VIP cocktail from 5.30pm and going on into the early hours of the next morning. The event also featured a Fashion Market and Beauty Hub, albeit on a smaller scale than what one expects will be the case in future years when the event is put on over a full weekend. Perhaps because of the food and fashion shows indoors being the main attraction, the outdoor exhibition stalls for fashion and beauty businesses seemed to fall by the wayside with this event, almost as an added-on afterthought.
This wouldn't be the first time exhibition stands failed to deliver the desired outcome at a large fashion event: the exhibition stands promised by Zimbabwe Fashion Week 2013 were absent for the first 2 days of the three-day event and scarce on Day 3 when most (irate and very unhappy) exhibitors had decided against exhibiting at all and were looking to demand a refund from the organisers. This is a pity, because whilst fashion shows and a good time are certainly a great part of the fashion industry, the end objective is largely to sell clothes and accessories – vibrant exhibition stands would certainly enable this, but have unfortunately been a let-down for most paying exhibitors at these large events.
Poor lighting and windy outdoor conditions characterised the market area of Fashion Weekend Zimbabwe in 2013 – a well-lit tent setup would definitely be better for future editions of the event. At the end of the day, businesses would like to be able to track the success of their marketing ventures and the results from Fashion Weekend Zimbabwe were disappointing. Here’s hoping that there’s a marked improvement in the exhibition and market portions of fashion events in Zimbabwe in future years.
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