Meet Tafadzwa Moyo: First Zimbabwean to exhibit at the International Fashion Showcase

From the Ibumba iFashion Fest to the South African Menswear Week (SAMW), Tafadzwa Moyo, known by the moniker Taf the Taylor has kept true to his motto ‘brave hearts never fail.’ This year he’ll participate at the International Fashion Showcase (IFS) to be held in London, his biggest fashion event yet. Tafadzwa, the founder of Kidd Hunta, a men’s clothing label was among the seven designers nominated by the British Council Zimbabwe to the prestigious showcase. Only two designers met the IFS requirement.

IFS is organised by the British Council and the British Fashion Council, and the showcase takes place during the London Fashion Week. For the first time this year it will be supported by Mercedes Benz. The event is mainly a platform for emerging designers to showcase their collections, and an award is given to the best exhibition.

Photo: KiddHunta

The fashion event is into its sixth edition, and it gathers emerging designers across 28 countries. For the first time, Zimbabwe will be represented at the showcase. The event is set to run from the 17^th to 21^st of February. Representing Zimbabwe, Tafadzwa will share one of the biggest stages in fashion with some of the best designers across different continents.

According to the International Fashion Showcase, the theme of this year’s exhibition is Local/Global. Various countries have been invited to explore how emerging designers can transform their local cultures into a global language. Fashion is shaped by its surroundings: the rhythms of nature, climate, cultural memory, social change and historical shifts are reflected in silhouettes, techniques and materials, IFS says. By considering fashion within their own landscape the countries taking part in the showcase will highlight the similarities and differences of our complex and connected world, IFS notes.

Nominated for the Southern Africa Best Fashion Brand at the Abryanz Style & Fashion Award in Uganda in November last year, Moyo has continued grow his brand after taking Zimbabwe’s fashion industry by storm. This year he is showcasing his designs from his collection 1st Street at the South African Menswear Week (SAMW), which is being held in Cape Town this month. The collection gets its inspiration from the Zimbabwean streets. This collection will also be exhibited at the IFS.

Kidd Hunta exhibit. Photo: Kidd Hunta/Twitter

With the logo of a boy running with a spear, the Kidd Hunta explains, “the basic concept behind our logo illustrating a kid running with a spear in his right hand symbolizes the goal getter spirit dwelling in kidd hunta”. After his four year diploma in Industrial Clothing Design and Contraction at the Danhiko Project, Tafadzwa worked with Faithwear, the biggest fashion brand in Zimbabwe and he was part of Faithwear’s design team before he launched his own project.

Tafadzwa started his career in 2005 and he had his mother, who worked as a tailor as an inspiration. Kidd Hunta was started in 2015, and the project has continued to grow since its inception. Describing its ambitious spirit, Kidd Hunta says:

“The kidd hunta is here to take on the world with no apologies. With his spear, he aims and strikes true to his target. The story of this young African boy fighting is the inspiration for kidd hunta. He encapsulates an entrepreneurial go getter spirit with a uniquely African outlook”.

We wish Tafadzwa Moyo all the best.