The Sunday Mail
THIS year’s Zimbabwe Fashion Week has been marred by the fallout between local organisers and South African fashion show production company, Group of Creatives – GRP/cr8/ (GC).
By Andrew Moyo and Robin Chaibva
The ZFW team (from left) Colin Ratisai, Tinopona Katsande, Marshall Mutsamwira, Priscilla and Marcus Green
ZFW 2015 is scheduled for September 3 to September 6.
Nicki Minaj’s senior designer, Zimbabwean Farai Simoyi, who is based in New York, has pulled out of the this year’s edition, which she was supposed to headline.
In a statement exclusively availed to The Sunday Mail Leisure, Simoyi said: “Due to the current status of Zimbabwe Fashion Week (ZFW) this year, we have postponed our trip to Zimbabwe until 2016. We wish ZFW the best and success on this year’s shows.
“During our trip in 2016 we hope to hold a forum that will bring young entrepreneurs together to discuss the future of Zimbabwe and how we can build brands locally and internationally, create jobs, start manufacturing apparel that can be sold on a global level, and change the way the Zimbabwe consumer views locally made products.”
Simoyi, who has previously worked with Beyonce, could not be drawn to explicitly say if her decision to postpone her trip to Zimbabwe was as a result of the chaos at the ZFW.
GC continues to unleash vitriol on the Zimbabwean organisers, particularly founder and director Priscilla Chigariro-Gessen.
The company has even filed a civil claim against Chigariro-Gessen in South Africa, with GC director Jennifer Deiner saying Chigariro-Gessen should be arrested.
“Priscilla will be held for questioning in South Africa if she ever lands and tries going through immigration. We have opened a case against her here in SA and immigration officials have all the relevant data. The police will get involved immediately if she comes here,” said Deiner.
ZFW hired GC to produce the 2013 edition of the fashion week. They were rehired last year but they will not be involved this year amid numerous disagreements with the organisers, chief among them being non-payment for services rendered.
ZFW, on their Facebook page, said they were victims of a malicious act of slander and defamation by GC.
“In 2014, numerous conflicts arose between GC and other service providers of ZFI on the basis of unacceptable, racially biased and patronising attitude of GC towards the local Zimbabwean providers.
“Production problems were blamed by GC on our ‘staff’s incompetence’ and no responsibility was ever accepted for production failures. ZFI was forced to seek emergency replacement for some of the providers who walked off the set due to insults and mistreatment by the GC.”
It is alleged that GC dispatched a disparaging email about ZFW to international stakeholders as part of an agenda to mar the show’s image.
And in an interview with The Sunday Mail Leisure, Simon Deiner – Jennifer’s husband and partner at GC – expressed his displeasure at the way ZFW was run, saying treatment of his team, models and suppliers was unsatisfactory.
A renowned fashion photographer, Simon said, “I went in 2012 to shoot it and saw the incredibly low standards there, and spoke to some designers. I offered a solution for 2013 which was for GC to raise the standard and I think that was easily shown, both in 2013 and 2014…
“Models were not fed or given water, and in the end they were not even paid. Suppliers were not paid and some were even threatened. Priscilla did not care as she even left us stranded at the hotel.
“A designer from Tanzania, also embarrassed by how things were unfolding at this point, paid our cab to the airport since I had no cash on me.”
He said after the 2014 event, GC sent a full debrief but did not get any response.
“(Priscilla) finally sent an email saying we were not hired for 2015 as we had not delivered, an opinion which was not shared by other designers, models, media and followers.
“It was clear that discussion on unprofessionalism and being asked to actually pay bills was the real reason. Her wake of bad debt is mind boggling, with over two dozen suppliers and people in Zimbabwe putting together a claim against her.”
Simon believes the fashion industry would be better off without Priscilla.
“She is bad for the industry. There is no arguing that what she started was a good thing, but how she has handled the past two years was terrible. You do not build an industry by not paying the very engine of your event, which is the suppliers and models. . . .
“I wish the show well but it’s genuinely sad to see a platform with great potential going backwards, and most importantly the designers, who are all small businesses and employers, suffer at the hands of someone who has no regard for them.
“This platform, however, allowed us to meet designers, and we have done our best to offer them broader opportunities, for example, Taf the Taylor who was showcasing at the recent SA Menswear Week in Cape Town.
“We should work together for a brighter future, but we simply cannot work with a platform owner who is self-serving instead of having the best interests of the fashion industry they are purported to serve.”
Priscilla Chigaririo-Gessen rubbished the allegations and said the show would go on.
Priscilla Chigariro-Gessen, the founder and director of the Zimbabwe Fashion Week
“People are never happy when they get fired and this is the main reason why these people are spreading all these falsehoods. They are saying I owe more than 25 suppliers money, which is ridiculous because the number of suppliers that I use is not even close to the numbers they are talking about.
“In terms of the money we owe them, we had already agreed on a payment plan but they decided to pursue litigation so we are just waiting for the outcome before making our next move.
“They are just trying to tarnish the event but it will not work because there are people who have faith in us and are still part and parcel of the show, for example the Cape Town Fashion Council.
“Right now we are just focusing on marketing the show because all the other basics have been done and people should brace themselves for an interesting programme, with about six bands performing during the event.”
Founded in 2009, Zimbabwe Fashion Week is the country’s premier fashion event.
The theme for this year’s edition is “Fashion Redefined” and one of the major highlights will be music superstar Oliver Mtukudzi showcasing his fashion line.
