MFW
Mozambique Fashion Week
Fashion to move forward
In 2004, an initiative showed that revolution can be made on the catwalk. Seventeen years on, Mozambique Fashion Week (MFW) still has the same thirst for freedom and fights to break trends that imprison. Aware that fashion is the future, the initiative moves forward, and switches on the lights at Montebelo Indy, in the city of Maputo, from 7 to 11 December, to let more than 70 national and international designers parade, among brands and young designers. The numbers achieved surpass all previous editions. Besides the competition for young designers, Young Designer, MFW features the Vodacom Challenge, which will reward the best collection inspired by the theme Inclusion and Diversity. This year's theme is New Age: Fashion Forward, which continues last year's concept. However, it will focus on the reality of the new normal and on the beauty of being a human being.
The genesis of Mozambican fashion
It all began in the distant year of 2004. While the world was enjoying the fourth year of the 21st century, a group of enthusiasts was putting the finishing touches to an event that went by the name of Mozambique Fashion Week (MFW). The initiative raised the pillars of the fashion industry in Mozambique, widened the market for existing designers and inspired a new wave of talented young people who make the pearl shine beyond the Indian Ocean. MFW has always shown that it is not just a glamorous event, it is a sustainable ecosystem for creative talents and Mozambican brands, allowing them to thrive in the global community. Consistent and concerned with the direction of Mozambican fashion, MFW has become a fashion platform, the biggest the country has ever seen and one of the best structured, with every argument for being the best in Africa. Focused on the discovery, encouragement, training and promotion of Mozambican fashion, MFW seeks ways to professionalise everyone who is part of the chain, in order to consolidate the industry. But it is not only for designers, models and collection enthusiasts; there is also room for music, visual arts and gastronomy. The event involves brands, hotel chains and tourism, and uses fashion to show the best of Mozambique to the world. The event has boosted the names of designers who today represent the country abroad. The numbers speak for themselves: more than 30 Mozambican designers have already shown their work abroad and taken part in training through MFW. Thanks to the platform, the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean” is on the world fashion map, and the initiative is part of the Commonwealth Fashion Culture circuit.
Social responsibility
The social component is one of MFW's major commitments; in previous years it pioneered breast cancer awareness. Well-known faces, such as Sónia Sultuane, Anabela Adrianopoulos, Glória Muianga and Maria José Sacur, among others, joined the cause and walked the catwalk in support of it. The pieces worn by the media personalities were then auctioned and the proceeds went towards fighting that disease. Skin cancer has also been given prominence. Climate issues have often received attention at MFW, through numerous initiatives and campaigns, such as the “Blue Catwalk”, in 2015. For that campaign a sustainable catwalk was built, made entirely from 5,000 tiles produced from 250,000 plastic bottle tops. In 2019, on World Wildlife Day, the Unwanted Fashion campaign was launched. The idea was to show that animals are suffering from our pollution. So the rubbish dumped in the oceans was turned into fashion accessories, and the animals into digital influencers. As well as the digital campaign, an exhibition of sculptures of marine animals made from recycled materials was also organised. Also as part of the campaign, a 6-metre tree was built, made from reused rubbish and lit with energy from solar panels. In short: more than a tonne of plastic collected from the ocean was used for these initiatives.
Besides climate issues, MFW pioneered the use of fashion to raise society's awareness of various topics, such as LGBTQ rights, domestic violence and child trafficking, among others.
Human is beautiful
Proving that fashion is for everyone, this year, once again, MFW is launching a social responsibility campaign, with the aim of promoting love for differences. The idea is to break the stereotype that says beauty is reflected by a certain standard of appearance, which often excludes the majority. People are forced to stop being who they are in order to meet the standards. The initiative wants to celebrate self-esteem and manage to overcome the stereotypes entrenched in the fashion industry. This year's social responsibility campaign focuses on self-esteem, which reflects a “Positive Self” in people. With the help of some activists who agreed to share their stories of overcoming adversity, MFW promises to go beyond the box, breaking down standards imposed by society in order to have “socially excluded” people create an experience of love and pride in their natural beauty. The goal is to overcome the challenge of creating a campaign that will transform, educate and make society firmly believe that the standard of beauty is being happy in your own way, without judgement, because self-esteem matters more than concepts of beauty. “MFW is for you to be you. So go and be! Be the courage. The change. The evolution. The fashion. Find your place in a world made by everyone.” The idea is to create an experience of love and pride in the natural beauty one has, showing that every human being, by being human, is BEAUTIFUL.
Innovating to overcome adversity
In 2020 the chaos portrayed in science fiction films, such as the feature film “Contagion”, which depicts the apocalyptic scenario caused by a respiratory virus, stepped off the screen and became part of the lives of thousands of people who saw their lives collapse. In the business world, many companies went bankrupt, the unemployment rate rose and the world economy was placed in quarantine. In the arts, several events were postponed and digital platforms were the alternative for maintaining the planet's social life. Mozambique also felt the effects. Nevertheless, Mozambique Fashion Week is proud to show that it got through the year that brought down so many initiatives, brands and companies. With its head held high, the country's biggest fashion platform reinvented itself and held its 16th edition. With the experience of 2020, this year, once again, the MFW organisation is committed to the safety and well-being of the team, designers, models and guests, so all the measures recommended by the health authorities are assured at the show venue, and all the events will be broadcast through traditional media and digital platforms. The holding of the 17th edition of MFW is proof of resilience, a virtue that is characteristic of human beings who, in difficult situations, do not lose heart and bounce back.
