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Speaker 1: I'm always always be careful.

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Speaker 2: Love those um books.

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Speaker 1: Yet we'll use your head. They will tear you up.

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Speaker 1: Lack a purple talk. Oh no, no, no, yeah.

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Speaker 3: Yeah yeah yeah, oh no no no.

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Speaker 4: Hi.

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Speaker 5: I'm Amanda and I'm Rumby.

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Speaker 1: Welcome to It's lay It.

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Speaker 4: We're in a long distance friendship that started over twenty

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Speaker 4: years ago when we were in high school.

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Speaker 2: We'll be talking about all things life, love, family, anything

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Speaker 2: and everything else under the sun.

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Speaker 4: Delve deeper with us because in life, you know my layers.

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Speaker 3: Oh no, no, no, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Hello everybody, and

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Speaker 3: welcome to a brand new episode of It's Layered, Season five.

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Speaker 1: Season five.

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Speaker 4: I don't know. Somehow we blinked and we're here. We

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Speaker 4: have this very special guest in the building, someone we

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Speaker 4: both got to meet last year when we were in

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Speaker 4: zim for Mairora and an incredible, incredible member of the

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Speaker 4: zimbabwe and fashion community. We're talking about Lanai Manondo. She

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Speaker 4: is a fashion designer, texts our artist, storyteller who is

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Speaker 4: based in Harare. Her work uses multidisciplinary approaches and it

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Speaker 4: takes a storytelling approach to sharing our culture and our

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Speaker 4: history and she has a strong focus on preserving cultural

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Speaker 4: design practices as well as using I guess you would

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Speaker 4: call them sustainable.

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Speaker 1: Methods towards creative bomb as you know, say that again, remembering.

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Speaker 4: Mom, I mean I'm representing if you're watching a video,

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Speaker 4: I'm actually yes, Oh.

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Speaker 1: My god, to die for.

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Speaker 4: For my daughter, Like she uses such incredible you know,

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Speaker 4: style and tactics and methods and while being sustainable and

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Speaker 4: just you know, she pays attention to detail. We're talking

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Speaker 4: to Nanai Manondo today. Welcome to the podcast, and.

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Speaker 6: I, oh gosh, thank you so much for having me.

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Speaker 5: That introduction was like.

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Speaker 4: That's why we got to your flowers.

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Speaker 5: Give you.

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Speaker 6: The actually really humble and yeah, the hype is like amazing,

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Speaker 6: and yeah, wow, thank you guys for having me.

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Speaker 4: We're so glad you could be here.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I was so happy to have you.

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Speaker 2: And obviously we're going to go into all things House

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Speaker 2: of Stone and all things having a big business, which

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Speaker 2: is we like to dowve on this podcast and just

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Speaker 2: ask those questions. I guess you don't normally get a

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Speaker 2: chance to ask in a regular conversation and get to

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Speaker 2: know you and get to know House of Stone.

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Speaker 1: I mean, when did you decide that.

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Speaker 2: You are not doing the typical nine to five job

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Speaker 2: and you're setting up a business instead because you know

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Speaker 2: them parents be like a doctor and.

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Speaker 5: I know, yeah, you know what.

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Speaker 6: It's almost like I feel like I actually didn't even

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Speaker 6: choose to say I don't want a nine to five.

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Speaker 6: I always feel like the interrepreneurship life chose me, Like

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Speaker 6: after people ask me questions and like how did you

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Speaker 6: get to sustainability? How did you get into design?

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Speaker 5: And sometimes I genuine you're like, this stuff chose me.

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Speaker 6: So for example, like when I started designing, it's because

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Speaker 6: I couldn't get a job an essays, so I wanted

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Speaker 6: to come home and create almost like a portfolio. But

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Speaker 6: for some odd reason, I was like, let me start

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Speaker 6: with my brand, Old House of Stone. I was literally like,

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Speaker 6: let me start this brand which I can sort of

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Speaker 6: create a portfolio underneath. And before I knew it was

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Speaker 6: a whole business, and I was like, oh, I didn't

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Speaker 6: expect that, you know.

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Speaker 5: The response was not what I expected.

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Speaker 6: I hadn't really planned out a proper business plan, so

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Speaker 6: I found myself a bit overwhelmed and just like burnt

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Speaker 6: out at some point because it's almost like the business

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Speaker 6: itself was running me and I wasn't running the business

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Speaker 6: because I hadn't actually created a business plan or a

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Speaker 6: proper vision for what I wanted to create around this

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Speaker 6: whole concept called House of Stone. I set it up

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Speaker 6: more as a platform for me to develop a portfolio

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Speaker 6: so that I could actually go back to essay.

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Speaker 5: And apply for a job.

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Speaker 6: So I was very much so, I was very much

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Speaker 6: that ninety five person. But then, like when I started

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Speaker 6: and the response was so electric, I was like, oh gosh, okay,

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Speaker 6: so I could actually be a fashion business own.

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Speaker 5: Now let's do this.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, that's incredible, especially when you talk about how the

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Speaker 4: business was running you at some point, like you know,

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Speaker 4: and kind of following, like running after and trying to

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Speaker 4: catch up.

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Speaker 5: I guess with their literally.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that's amazing.

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Speaker 4: Though that would you say that you've managed to kind

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Speaker 4: of figure out how to run it now as opposed

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Speaker 4: to it running you, if that makes sense.

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Speaker 6: I think I have a better understanding of how to

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Speaker 6: run it now, but I'm still on this learning journey

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Speaker 6: because I feel like you go to institutions internationally, you

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Speaker 6: learn the protocols, the one to threes of how things

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Speaker 6: are supposed to work in a functioning society. Then you

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Speaker 6: try and come back to Zimbabwe and apply those exact

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Speaker 6: same methodologies. But Zimbabwe is its own ecosister, like we

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Speaker 6: actually need like a thesis on the economy.

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Speaker 5: Of zerm and how it works. It's its own little creature.

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Speaker 6: So for me, I've had to actually kind of like

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Speaker 6: step back erase everything that I thought I knew about

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Speaker 6: the fashion.

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Speaker 5: Business, especially from a global perspective.

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Speaker 6: And understand how does evolve wave function and in understanding

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Speaker 6: how it's involve way functions, how can I take that

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Speaker 6: knowledge and then create a brand that I can still

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Speaker 6: export to the world. So it's almost like I always

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Speaker 6: feel like having a business and Zim is like game

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Speaker 6: of Thrones. It's like a chessboard and you're trying to

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Speaker 6: figure out which way to move the pieces. Tomorrow you

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Speaker 6: might find out that there's an information rate that's just

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Speaker 6: skyrocketed up, or suddenly people don't want to spend their money.

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Speaker 6: So there's so many things that you sort of cannot

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Speaker 6: always predict. But I think because I've sort of gotten

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Speaker 6: used to this environment, I.

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Speaker 5: Always have like three four, five backup plans.

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Speaker 1: Who dos to you, who don't?

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Speaker 6: If this happens, how are you going to respond, if

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Speaker 6: that happens, how will you respond?

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Speaker 5: I try to create as many scenarios.

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Speaker 6: As I possibly can, and yeah, we'll see how it

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Speaker 6: works out this year. But I feel like then you

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Speaker 6: just need to take the plunge. Yeah, and you figure

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Speaker 6: it out as as you go. You can prepare yourself

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Speaker 6: as much as you possibly can. But as I mentioned,

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Speaker 6: ZIM is its own little creature.

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Speaker 5: And you're just like living in its world.

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Speaker 4: Absolutely, And you know, talking about how you know you

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Speaker 4: kind of found yourself in this this industry as an entrepreneur. Essentially,

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Speaker 4: how did you those close to you respond to your decision,

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Speaker 4: like your family, you know, close friends and things like that.

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Speaker 5: How was that well likely for me? I'm not the firstborn.

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Speaker 6: I always like to give credit to my elder sister,

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Speaker 6: who chose the straight and narrow road of becoming a dentist.

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Speaker 6: My brother went into I could study economics, but he

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Speaker 6: ended up going into art eventually, so I almost feel

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Speaker 6: like they sacrificed their lives so that I could live

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Speaker 6: my best life.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, you know, I'll do the thing.

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Speaker 6: So by the time I was telling my parents I

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Speaker 6: want to go study fashion, my mom was all for it.

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Speaker 6: Because my mom comes from an extremely creative family and

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Speaker 6: she always likes to say how a reminder of her mother,

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Speaker 6: who was also a maker. She was always just like knitting,

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Speaker 6: making stuff. And then my dad was on that whole

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Speaker 6: tip of you want to sew curtains. I was like,

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Speaker 6: I don't know how fashion.

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Speaker 1: Has gone into curtains, omen.

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Speaker 6: But the funniest thing about it is that my graduation

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Speaker 6: collection was actually made out of tapestry that is usually

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Speaker 6: used for curtaining.

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Speaker 5: And I said, who's the joke on?

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Speaker 6: But yeah, that's interesting, And I think eventually he got

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Speaker 6: into it, and you actually ended up becoming my biggest

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Speaker 6: hype master. You'd like I went to become the Gucci

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Speaker 6: of Zimbabwe.

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Speaker 4: Amen.

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Speaker 7: Sweet when my parents like try and picture it like

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Speaker 7: but then they go to like Gucci and they're like, no, yeah,

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Speaker 7: that's not even thee of mynyway.

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Speaker 5: I will take any positivity point a lot.

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Speaker 1: You knows, child Ucci.

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Speaker 6: Exactly.

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Speaker 5: That's exactly what I was thinking. I was like, oh,

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Speaker 5: you know what it is. Wow.

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Speaker 2: I mean a lot of our listeners like to know things,

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Speaker 2: and maybe on they have wishes on their hearts as well,

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Speaker 2: So we're gonna just take it back as much as

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Speaker 2: you like went into the deep end starting your business,

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Speaker 2: how do you think you garnered the support to start

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Speaker 2: your business even emotionally, financially physically, I mean, did you

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Speaker 2: have to have the right connections in Zimbabwe.

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Speaker 6: So when I came back from essay my little car,

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Speaker 6: I don't even know if I want to say the figure,

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Speaker 6: but I'll say the figure because it's so embarrassing to

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Speaker 6: me right now. But I had twenty thousand rands saved

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Speaker 6: to start my little business, and I really thought it

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Speaker 6: was a lot, and always forget me. It was an

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Speaker 6: industrial secondhand industrial machine and maybe the roles of fabric

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Speaker 6: that I purchased. And obviously I say that money whilst

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Speaker 6: I was working in like my retail job, and I

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Speaker 6: really thought it was something because I was so bad

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Speaker 6: with maths and like accounting that in my mind, I.

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Speaker 5: Was like, I've got money rolling.

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Speaker 6: But then I think when you start fashion, you realize

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Speaker 6: that it's so capital intensive and that a lot of

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Speaker 6: like the major brands or brands that are emerging have

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Speaker 6: like a really strong backing. Sometimes you can find a

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Speaker 6: person who wants to maybe buy part of your business

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Speaker 6: and they focus purely on the business side. Then you

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Speaker 6: have someone that maybe might come in from a marketing

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Speaker 6: point of view and support you.

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Speaker 5: Then they pretty much just leave you to be the

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Speaker 5: genius that you.

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Speaker 6: Are creatively, and you find that the brands that have

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Speaker 6: that end up going really far. But most of us

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Speaker 6: independent self towards, self funded, self everything, who play like five.

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Speaker 5: Million roles in the one business.

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Speaker 6: We sort of have to be all those people in

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Speaker 6: one so the growth ends up being a lot slower.

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Speaker 6: But I think what I've noticed is I am a

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Speaker 6: person that always shoots my shots, and I think somehow

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Speaker 6: that has that is somehow paid off.

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Speaker 5: Like half the time I do it scared.

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Speaker 6: Actually, everything that I've done, I've always been scared. But

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Speaker 6: I feel like if you wait to feel like everything

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Speaker 6: is perfect, you'll never get anything done. So half of

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Speaker 6: the time I feel like, let me just do it,

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Speaker 6: let me shoot my shots. If it fails, look, I

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Speaker 6: didn't have it to begin with, and who knows, they

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Speaker 6: might say yes and voila. And I also think people

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Speaker 6: respect the consistency that I have shown and the desire

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Speaker 6: to keep going and how sometimes when I fall down

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Speaker 6: I managed to still pick myself up. It's easy to

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Speaker 6: get defeated but I feel like sometimes people have gone

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Speaker 6: it and have supported me because I've supported myself over

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Speaker 6: the years and they've seen it, They've seen the consistency,

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Speaker 6: and I think people ultimately end up respecting that.

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Speaker 5: So even if they didn't like it, they're like, we

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Speaker 5: like what you stand for.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm good enough.

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Speaker 6: I think they like what you stand for because they

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Speaker 6: can see the consistity.

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Speaker 5: And me at least trying to.

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Speaker 4: Improve, especially in the environment you're in. It it's it's

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Speaker 4: very like commendable to be able to continue, you know,

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Speaker 4: as you mentioned.

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Speaker 2: And Rumby and I can get you about shooting your shot.

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Speaker 2: I mean even this podcast when we started, we were

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Speaker 2: like I I personally had to even look at what

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Speaker 2: podcasting was like, like I go back to the jump,

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Speaker 2: but like, it's just it's a testament of if you

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Speaker 2: have something sitting on your heart, just to go for it.

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Speaker 2: I think sometimes you always see ourselves at the end like, oh,

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Speaker 2: I'm going to be successful, but it's like it's her

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Speaker 2: journey and the success is the journey. It's not you know,

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Speaker 2: it's not the nation. So it's like, yeah, shooting a

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Speaker 2: short man.

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Speaker 6: Works, and it's not funny actually say that because I

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Speaker 6: always feel like if shooting your shot were a country,

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Speaker 6: it would be Zimbabwe.

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Speaker 2: We we know how to do.

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Speaker 5: For sure, for sure.

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Speaker 4: And that's such a perfect segue because Amanda and I

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Speaker 4: on this podcast we celebrate Zimbabwe and creatives and minds

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Speaker 4: and just everything or a lot of things Zimbabwe. How

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Speaker 4: excited are you for the creative industry coming out of Zimbabwe?

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Speaker 4: Because I feel we are a truly I don't know,

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Speaker 4: I just feel like we're incredibly creative and have a

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Speaker 4: lot to offer. It's just perhaps we haven't always been

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Speaker 4: given the platform or it hasn't been as respected by

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Speaker 4: our own people in terms of, you know, our creative

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Speaker 4: genius or prowess a few all that. So have you

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Speaker 4: found it easy or hard to stay motivated? You know

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Speaker 4: you've already alluded to the difficulties of running a business,

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Speaker 4: But how do you keep thriving and pushing forward? And

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Speaker 4: how are you excited for what's coming out of the country.

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Speaker 6: I am actually, like, I won't lie, there were many

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Speaker 6: seasons that I've had where I felt demotivated and I've

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Speaker 6: had to like find the strength somehow to motivate myself.

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Speaker 6: But simultaneously, when you see what creatives are managing to

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Speaker 6: accomplish with very little support and just using their creativity,

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Speaker 6: their resourcefulness. It almost gives me the energy to be like, yes,

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Speaker 6: let's get this going. And I feel like this year

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Speaker 6: and maybe beyond this year, my mantra has been Zimbabwe

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Speaker 6: to the world, and I keep telling people that I

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Speaker 6: feel like when the world finally looks at Zimbabwe, it

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Speaker 6: won't really be through our mining per se, but it

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Speaker 6: will actually be through the arts. I feel like our

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Speaker 6: narratives somehow is similar to that of the Nigerian economy,

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Speaker 6: where Nigeria's at some point were looked down upon, nobody

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Speaker 6: wanted them around, but now they really dominate within the

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Speaker 6: creative spaces, and I feel like when I look at

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Speaker 6: them as a reference, our story is somewhat similar in

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Speaker 6: that Zimbabweans are always the last people to be thought of,

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Speaker 6: but I'm starting to see that the way we are

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Speaker 6: just pushing, coming together, collaborating and just making it happen

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Speaker 6: with whatever we've got, because we are now understanding, or

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Speaker 6: at least I say, we're not valuating our own voices

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Speaker 6: and our own stories, and we're like, look, we're going

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Speaker 6: to put it out there, even if it's two cents

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Speaker 6: that we've got. What can we do with those two cents?

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Speaker 6: So I'm excited because I really feel like it's our time.

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Speaker 6: This is something stirring energy wise within the creative space.

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Speaker 6: I love how a lot of our diaspora and celebs

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Speaker 6: if I can call them that, are coming back to

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Speaker 6: them and connecting even with the local creatives, and we're

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Speaker 6: just finding ways to synergize and just tell our stories

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Speaker 6: and share our arts ultimately.

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Speaker 2: You know, it's obviously we've been following along with all

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Speaker 2: the things that you and House of Stone are doing.

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Speaker 2: I mean recently you were in London, am I correct?

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Speaker 1: Yeah?

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Speaker 2: And what ways when you're in those spaces, do you

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Speaker 2: distinctly think Zimbabwe is being represented or making its mark creatively?

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Speaker 5: You know, it's that's quite a challenging question to answer.

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Speaker 6: Because I feel like we're still trying to figure out

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Speaker 6: who we are and what we want to say. Because

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Speaker 6: even in terms of our history, even if it's from

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Speaker 6: a form of language or dress, a lot of it

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Speaker 6: has sort of been lost. So in a space of

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Speaker 6: really trying to reclaim it, rether fine it and I

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Speaker 6: think our esthetic right now.

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Speaker 5: Is actually very fluid.

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Speaker 6: Is very much informed by international global trends and trying

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Speaker 6: to find ways in which we can incorporate.

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Speaker 5: Our traditional cultural nuances into that.

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Speaker 6: So I think for now, I think we are more

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Speaker 6: interested in what do we have to stay, say, story wise,

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Speaker 6: more than the.

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Speaker 5: Actual, let's say product.

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Speaker 6: So I feel like when Zimbabwe's go into these spaces,

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Speaker 6: they want to hear our story more than anything else.

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Speaker 6: And even when I ask people in those spaces like

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Speaker 6: what was it about House of Stone, it's actually never

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Speaker 6: the clothing, It's always the stories. It's always the power

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Speaker 6: behind the visuals and the storytelling that has opened doors

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Speaker 6: for me to be in those spaces because people are

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Speaker 6: very curious to hear what do zimbabwe think about themselves.

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Speaker 5: Because we don't know, but the world doesn't know, and.

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Speaker 6: They want to know their curious and I think everyone's

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Speaker 6: looking towards the whole world is looking towards Africa to

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Speaker 6: state their position.

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Speaker 5: So when I go into those spaces, I think that's.

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Speaker 6: What I try to do is speak from my perspective,

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Speaker 6: my experience.

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Speaker 5: But I'm only just one voice.

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Speaker 6: We need many more voices to show how dynamic we

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Speaker 6: are as a people, even our different experiences, the different

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Speaker 6: ways in which we have grown up. We're so diverse

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Speaker 6: even in those few things, so just to be able

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Speaker 6: to share that, I tried to just contribute what I

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Speaker 6: can from my own experience and interests.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, that's really dope. And I think something you mentioned

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Speaker 4: earlier was collaboration, like collaborating with each other. Someone we've

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Speaker 4: had on our podcast a friend of yours, you know,

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Speaker 4: in the creative space, Gemma Griffiths, and we've had such

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Speaker 4: an incredible conversation with her, and she's obviously worn your

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Speaker 4: pieces many many times. How do you feel like we're

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Speaker 4: doing as Zimbabwe's collaboratively because I think sometimes as a people,

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Speaker 4: we have a bit of talking about, you know, how

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Speaker 4: do we see ourselves? I think sometimes we want, you know,

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Speaker 4: as long as my things are firing, I don't care

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Speaker 4: about anyone else, like you know, a bit of that

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Speaker 4: selfish mentality. But how do you see collaboration working to

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Speaker 4: help build the creative industry?

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Speaker 5: You know?

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Speaker 6: Okay, before I even answer that, I should I say

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Speaker 6: that that culture or that characteristic that we have as

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Speaker 6: if my things are firing, they we don't worry about

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Speaker 6: anyone else. I think it comes from our upbringing and

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Speaker 6: our culture here our high school culture where everything is

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Speaker 6: so competitive and it's almost like each man for himself.

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Speaker 5: But I think as you mature.

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Speaker 6: And you become an adult and you work a little bit,

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Speaker 6: you're not realizing that, yeah, you can have a moment,

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Speaker 6: you know what I mean, You can actually have several moments,

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Speaker 6: But life is a season and for true sustainability, it

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Speaker 6: needs to benefit more than just yourself. And even right now,

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Speaker 6: from a fashion perspective, we don't even have I don't

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Speaker 6: even think we have a fashioned culture or system in Zimbabwe.

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Speaker 5: It's not there, it's not president, it doesn't exist. So

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Speaker 5: how can you be so worried about yourself.

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Speaker 6: In a space where the actual system doesn't exist.

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Speaker 5: You need to work with others in order to build it.

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Speaker 6: That's the only way that there's anything worth fighting over

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Speaker 6: or srubbling over. It's like being a big fish in

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Speaker 6: a ball and there's a whole ocean and it's like,

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Speaker 6: but you're.

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Speaker 5: In a ball. But I just feel like we.

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Speaker 6: Need to like get out of that mindset and realize

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Speaker 6: that we first need to build our industry. But the

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Speaker 6: only way we can build it is by working together

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Speaker 6: and by collaborating and then once we built something, then

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Speaker 6: there's actually something tangible to actually compete over. But until then,

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Speaker 6: what are we actually competing over? Sense that doesn't make

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Speaker 6: sense to.

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Speaker 1: I didn't say that again, that's just sense.

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Speaker 5: It don't make sense, don't make.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, so I thought it, like that's my attitude towards it,

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Speaker 6: to be honest.

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Speaker 2: That is very frank Actually, I think people would still

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Speaker 2: be fighting and you're thinking, guys, And I think Gemma's

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Speaker 2: ethos was that as well, that we need to collaborate

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Speaker 2: and to do things together. So it's lovely to see

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Speaker 2: you guys. I suppose champion that because I guess people

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Speaker 2: look up to you guys obviously being in the creative space,

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Speaker 2: and I feel like it just will filter through to.

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Speaker 1: Us as a people as well. Oh that's my hope. Anyway.

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Speaker 2: On a personal level, though, how do you balance your

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Speaker 2: personal life and business obviously being a mom, a wife.

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Speaker 5: It's a hard mess. It's a hard mess right now.

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Speaker 6: But you know what I feel like, whenever you start

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Speaker 6: something new, you never really know what it's going to

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Speaker 6: be like or what the response is, So whilst you're

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Speaker 6: in it, it always starts off looking a bit messy,

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Speaker 6: but you clean it up, you clean it up as

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Speaker 6: much as you possibly can. And I think one thing

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Speaker 6: I've come to sort of like maybe not a theft,

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Speaker 6: but sort of like considers that maybe the concept of

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Speaker 6: balance balance is never really gonna be there.

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Speaker 5: You just do the best you can.

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Speaker 6: What you've got, and you try and show up, and

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Speaker 6: you try and prayerrioritize the things that matter the most.

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Speaker 5: And I think as long as.

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Speaker 6: You're prioritizing the things that matter the most, and that

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Speaker 6: I suppose becomes your balance. So in terms of prioritizing,

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Speaker 6: I could do better. Definitely, I think I still have

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Speaker 6: a way to go with that. But I'm also just

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Speaker 6: not beating myself up about being imperfect right now. Like

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Speaker 6: I feel like I've lived a long enough life of

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Speaker 6: beating myself up for not having it all together that

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Speaker 6: I wasn't able to enjoy life. So I think today

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Speaker 6: I can genuinely say, yeah, it's just a bit of

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Speaker 6: a mess, but I'm good.

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Speaker 2: Yeah I'm happy, you know what, I totally understand. I

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Speaker 2: totally relate to that because I think we have also

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Speaker 2: grown up with this level of perfectionism, especially with women,

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Speaker 2: especially with mothers. We thought we saw our mothers do

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Speaker 2: it so, But meanwhile they're probably also thinking, child, I.

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Speaker 1: Didn't do half the things I was meant to do.

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Speaker 2: But like we saw that and we emulate that, and

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Speaker 2: we think that's what we ought to do.

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Speaker 1: But really, as long as.

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Speaker 2: A child child to spend, you're going to sleep.

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Speaker 5: Like a crazy person. You know you've done your job. Yeah, absolutely,

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Speaker 5: that's so dope.

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Speaker 2: But how do you balance the travel though in amongst that,

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Speaker 2: because obviously you've just been a way for business.

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Speaker 6: Mm, well, you know what, I'm so blessed to have

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Speaker 6: a very supportive husband, to be honest, and I think

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Speaker 6: a lot of time we often underrate the person that

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Speaker 6: you choose to have in your life because I feel

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Speaker 6: like that also differentiates how successful you'll be in your pursuits.

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Speaker 6: I always say, if you are a person that a

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Speaker 6: woman that is really like gun Ho and really determinates

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Speaker 6: lots of things she wants to accomplish in your life

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Speaker 6: and kind of play all these multiple roles, you need

443
00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:53,960
Speaker 6: to definitely have a supportive husband if you're married, and

444
00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:56,880
Speaker 6: even like a supportive family that really just shows up

445
00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:59,320
Speaker 6: and says, how can we pitch in to help where

446
00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:02,120
Speaker 6: we can? And I think I've been blessed to have that,

447
00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:03,920
Speaker 6: and I don't take it for granted. Well, I hope

448
00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:09,119
Speaker 6: I don't, beautiful, Yeah, because I wouldn't be able to

449
00:24:09,119 --> 00:24:12,040
Speaker 6: do the things that I do today if people were

450
00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:14,280
Speaker 6: fighting me every single time saying no, you.

451
00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:16,280
Speaker 5: Can't do this, your mother, you have to stay at home,

452
00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:18,560
Speaker 5: you can't go there? What what? What? You know? Like

453
00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:23,280
Speaker 5: the theotypical sort of wraps. So un luckily that's not

454
00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:24,159
Speaker 5: my story.

455
00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:26,440
Speaker 4: So you know, I wanted to talk to you a

456
00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:31,000
Speaker 4: little bit about influence, you know, whether creatively or just

457
00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:34,760
Speaker 4: your approach to business. So you and I, fun fact,

458
00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:37,840
Speaker 4: we grew up a few years together living in Ghana,

459
00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:38,600
Speaker 4: West Africa.

460
00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:40,399
Speaker 5: Literally the best time of my life.

461
00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:43,600
Speaker 1: Absolutely said that about her life.

462
00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:46,399
Speaker 5: Yeah, it's really just opened for me.

463
00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:50,760
Speaker 4: Yeah, it was so great, and our families got to

464
00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:54,000
Speaker 4: know each other while there. And I know, for me personally,

465
00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:58,200
Speaker 4: the influence of Ghanean culture, just the pride they took

466
00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:02,640
Speaker 4: in their culture, the art, their clothing, their food, who

467
00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:05,200
Speaker 4: they were as a people and how proud they were.

468
00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:08,119
Speaker 4: And I remember, I think that left that has left

469
00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:10,480
Speaker 4: a lifetime impression on me on just.

470
00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:12,399
Speaker 5: How I perceive myself.

471
00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:15,320
Speaker 4: And you know, the continent and how proud I have

472
00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:18,760
Speaker 4: become of where I come from. So I'm curious to

473
00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:22,000
Speaker 4: know about your time, how that influenced you, and how

474
00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:25,320
Speaker 4: the rest of the continents influenced you, if at all, If.

475
00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:27,879
Speaker 6: You can talk a bit about that, I was actually

476
00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:31,520
Speaker 6: gonna influence me in my character more than anything. And

477
00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:34,560
Speaker 6: what I've come to realize is that if I was

478
00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:38,880
Speaker 6: to define Ganaan people, they're very warm, welcoming, happy people,

479
00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:42,840
Speaker 6: and I think they're considerate and I think I sort

480
00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:45,560
Speaker 6: of took that quarter baptism. So that's why sometimes, like

481
00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:50,359
Speaker 6: as much as I love my people, there's certain characterismics

482
00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:54,680
Speaker 6: attributes that we could work on improving. And I think

483
00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:57,959
Speaker 6: it's those attributes that I just mentioned where it's like,

484
00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:02,480
Speaker 6: I'm very open, I'm very welcoming. I see people for

485
00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:07,119
Speaker 6: who they are upon meeting them. I don't rank people

486
00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:10,639
Speaker 6: according to their background or what school they went to,

487
00:26:10,720 --> 00:26:12,679
Speaker 6: and I think that's a very Ganane thing. I felt

488
00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:16,200
Speaker 6: like Gnaines are just like happy, open people. They didn't

489
00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:18,960
Speaker 6: really care too much where you came from. We were like,

490
00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:19,960
Speaker 6: we're all humans.

491
00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:20,400
Speaker 5: Yeah.

492
00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:22,960
Speaker 6: I feel like that's what I took away from them

493
00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:25,159
Speaker 6: in terms of my character as a person.

494
00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:30,120
Speaker 5: How it influences my work. Wow, I think.

495
00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:32,800
Speaker 6: There was a time there was a major influence on

496
00:26:33,359 --> 00:26:36,080
Speaker 6: my work. But I tend to like to give myself

497
00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:38,840
Speaker 6: time to study my work and actually look at it

498
00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:41,400
Speaker 6: and see like these little things that I've subconsciously been

499
00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:45,400
Speaker 6: taking in because we're all sponges, right, and sometimes it's

500
00:26:45,480 --> 00:26:47,800
Speaker 6: easier to pick up the things that you've been inspired by,

501
00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:50,040
Speaker 6: and then there are other nuances, subtle ones that you

502
00:26:50,119 --> 00:26:51,640
Speaker 6: might not be able to pick up on.

503
00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:52,320
Speaker 5: But I have a.

504
00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:56,879
Speaker 6: Feeling there's definitely something they beyond just the character influence.

505
00:26:57,520 --> 00:27:00,919
Speaker 4: I think even entrepreneurship, because especially when we lived there,

506
00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:03,080
Speaker 4: Ghana was very much there was a lot of that

507
00:27:03,200 --> 00:27:06,320
Speaker 4: hustle like just make things work culture. There were a

508
00:27:06,359 --> 00:27:09,840
Speaker 4: lot of market that was the life, you know, And

509
00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:12,320
Speaker 4: I remember going back to zim and everything was very

510
00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:14,400
Speaker 4: kind of clinical and like managed, like.

511
00:27:14,359 --> 00:27:16,360
Speaker 1: You go here to do this, you go here.

512
00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:21,000
Speaker 4: You know, early mid to late nineties that's when I

513
00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:28,320
Speaker 4: went before things, you know. Yeah, so but yeah, I think,

514
00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:32,879
Speaker 4: you know, even your mentality around entrepreneurship could you know,

515
00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:35,880
Speaker 4: maybe subliminately, because I remember being.

516
00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:36,639
Speaker 5: Like, wow, this is different.

517
00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:38,000
Speaker 4: When I was there, I was like, this is so

518
00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:42,000
Speaker 4: different to what I knew compared to so yeah, that's

519
00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:42,560
Speaker 4: really cool.

520
00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:45,520
Speaker 6: Yeah you've actually given me something to go and like

521
00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:48,760
Speaker 6: reflect on. But I definitely feel like I'm a sponge

522
00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:52,040
Speaker 6: and I'm always soaking up something like garnering inspiration from

523
00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:54,520
Speaker 6: some way. And sometimes that's why I feel like my

524
00:27:54,680 --> 00:28:00,720
Speaker 6: esthetics sometimes don't traditionally or stereotypically look Zimbabwean, although we

525
00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:03,000
Speaker 6: don't even know what that zimbabwan esthetic is.

526
00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:07,520
Speaker 2: We're judging each other on an aesthetic we don't even

527
00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:08,280
Speaker 2: know what it is.

528
00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:11,600
Speaker 5: So I never forget going I was in.

529
00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:14,560
Speaker 4: I think I was in kindergarten or elementary, so I

530
00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:16,600
Speaker 4: don't remember where I was, and we had to go

531
00:28:17,359 --> 00:28:20,479
Speaker 4: our traditional clothing and I remember like, oh, so what

532
00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:21,320
Speaker 4: am I gonna wear?

533
00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:23,480
Speaker 1: And then either I had.

534
00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:26,760
Speaker 4: A zambia just tied around me or I had the

535
00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:29,280
Speaker 4: two pieces and isn't it neble like where you wear

536
00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:32,360
Speaker 4: like a boob tube like a brass skirt or something

537
00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:35,200
Speaker 4: like that. But that's like mele de Mela is also

538
00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:37,679
Speaker 4: South African, so you know, I don't know.

539
00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:40,600
Speaker 6: I actually think you did pretty good with the fusion though,

540
00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:44,560
Speaker 6: like like the descriptors you're using are sort of like

541
00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:49,560
Speaker 6: stereotypically considered Zimbabwee. And also like when you talk about

542
00:28:49,560 --> 00:28:52,400
Speaker 6: the borders, right when you say it's South African, is

543
00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:53,280
Speaker 6: it really.

544
00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:58,280
Speaker 5: That's true? Like these borders were not created by us,

545
00:28:58,280 --> 00:28:59,760
Speaker 5: so true, you know.

546
00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:02,520
Speaker 6: So it's like there's going to be so many cultural

547
00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:05,240
Speaker 6: things that people might share that might have crossed over

548
00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:06,240
Speaker 6: when they crossed over.

549
00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:06,920
Speaker 5: We don't know.

550
00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:12,600
Speaker 6: So I just feel like, yeah, it's an ongoing study

551
00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:16,280
Speaker 6: of ourselves, to be honest, and it's exciting because there's

552
00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:18,520
Speaker 6: just so much information that's out there, but we haven't

553
00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:19,800
Speaker 6: yet tapped into it.

554
00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:22,240
Speaker 5: And I think we're now. We are the generation that

555
00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:24,840
Speaker 5: are curious. We're the generation that wants to know.

556
00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:29,360
Speaker 6: And even when I hear about the history of fashion

557
00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:31,640
Speaker 6: and zim, I heard that a lot of it is

558
00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:37,400
Speaker 6: in Portugal, and You're like, what, Yeah, there's so much.

559
00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:40,920
Speaker 5: Like our history is just so interesting and dynamic, and

560
00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:43,240
Speaker 5: I feel like, will I be alive long enough to

561
00:29:43,280 --> 00:29:44,120
Speaker 5: figure it all out?

562
00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:48,920
Speaker 6: But I'm more interested in just doing the work and

563
00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:51,880
Speaker 6: sharing the progress and my experience.

564
00:29:53,240 --> 00:29:56,360
Speaker 2: And I do think, like from a dice for a perspective,

565
00:29:56,640 --> 00:30:00,000
Speaker 2: us leaving sometimes even makes you even more curious about

566
00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:03,160
Speaker 2: where you come from, because you're also like people will

567
00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:04,880
Speaker 2: be asking all these questions. You're like, oh, actually, I

568
00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:07,080
Speaker 2: don't know, like let me go look that up, and

569
00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:09,000
Speaker 2: we're looking at you like what do you mean you

570
00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:09,400
Speaker 2: don't know?

571
00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:13,360
Speaker 1: You know, don't you know?

572
00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:15,960
Speaker 2: But it's like, yeah, it confronts you in a way

573
00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:19,840
Speaker 2: where you see other people being super proud of their identity,

574
00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:24,080
Speaker 2: you know, opening restaurants, opening all these things even though

575
00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:26,600
Speaker 2: they're miles from home. Then you think, okay, but where

576
00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:29,680
Speaker 2: does Zimbabwe fit into this space? So I'm really grateful

577
00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:33,440
Speaker 2: for creatives like you because then we see ourselves presented,

578
00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:37,440
Speaker 2: especially internationally, it's just like, oh, yeah, you know, like

579
00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:39,240
Speaker 2: you know, are my people.

580
00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:45,880
Speaker 4: Yeah, every time I've shown people like photos of bra

581
00:30:46,160 --> 00:30:51,120
Speaker 4: and the legal wedding or whatever, everyone if they see

582
00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:55,080
Speaker 4: my outfit for they're like, oh my gosh, and I'm like, yeah,

583
00:30:58,760 --> 00:31:02,280
Speaker 4: so I'm telling it also gives us a level of pride.

584
00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:05,080
Speaker 4: And that's why it was also important for me to

585
00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:09,040
Speaker 4: have that representation on such a day because it was

586
00:31:09,080 --> 00:31:12,840
Speaker 4: like I could just wear anyone or any you know

587
00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:16,560
Speaker 4: what I mean, So anything, it's like it's it's that

588
00:31:16,720 --> 00:31:19,440
Speaker 4: and that's how you know, we build our confidence. I

589
00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:23,720
Speaker 4: feel like through the work of you know how creatives.

590
00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:26,000
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, then we feel.

591
00:31:25,720 --> 00:31:28,920
Speaker 4: Confident and proud and like yeah that's us. Okay, that's it,

592
00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:30,719
Speaker 4: that's okay.

593
00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:33,640
Speaker 1: So yeah, yeah, I.

594
00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:36,320
Speaker 6: Know interesting you speak about your aura because I could

595
00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:39,080
Speaker 6: even tell how thoughtful you were in everything that you're

596
00:31:39,080 --> 00:31:39,760
Speaker 6: trying to do with that.

597
00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:43,040
Speaker 5: I was like, yeah, that's deep, Like yeah.

598
00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:45,800
Speaker 2: Like that's just like okay, come and bring the cars

599
00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:47,560
Speaker 2: and yeah, like I won't lie.

600
00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:49,640
Speaker 6: I fought the pressure, but I wanted to be a

601
00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:50,960
Speaker 6: part of it, you know what I mean.

602
00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:52,800
Speaker 5: It's like a pressure that you sort of like.

603
00:31:53,400 --> 00:31:54,960
Speaker 6: That you want, not even sort of, but there's a

604
00:31:54,960 --> 00:31:56,720
Speaker 6: pressure that you want and it's like, wow, you know.

605
00:31:56,680 --> 00:31:59,400
Speaker 5: What the meaning the thoughtfulness that has gone behind this.

606
00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:01,320
Speaker 5: I want to be a part of it, and you

607
00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:04,560
Speaker 5: deliver it. Then pride elevel is so great.

608
00:32:04,840 --> 00:32:06,960
Speaker 1: Where do you see your business headed?

609
00:32:07,080 --> 00:32:07,160
Speaker 8: Like?

610
00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:09,960
Speaker 2: What is success? Especially what is success to you? For

611
00:32:10,040 --> 00:32:11,520
Speaker 2: House of Stone?

612
00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:13,200
Speaker 5: You know, guys? Can I be honest?

613
00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:16,480
Speaker 6: I want to be referenced in lecture theaters. Yeah, when

614
00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:18,720
Speaker 6: people are studying fashion play.

615
00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:20,320
Speaker 5: I want to be.

616
00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:24,280
Speaker 6: A reference where people are like in twenty eighteen to whatever,

617
00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:27,680
Speaker 6: these were the fashion aesthetics in Zimbabwe and I am

618
00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:28,760
Speaker 6: a reference point.

619
00:32:28,800 --> 00:32:29,960
Speaker 5: I'm a study point.

620
00:32:31,080 --> 00:32:33,640
Speaker 6: That is what I'm working towards because I feel like

621
00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:35,880
Speaker 6: now I'm struggling to find.

622
00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:40,240
Speaker 5: Zimbabwean designers to reference. Why let's tell you.

623
00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:42,360
Speaker 1: Want so you want a moment in time?

624
00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:47,080
Speaker 6: Yeah, And I want him to be able to see

625
00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:52,040
Speaker 6: their own doing something the same way other countries and

626
00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:55,080
Speaker 6: nations have their own that they reference, and they'll be like, oh,

627
00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:59,280
Speaker 6: look at Margiela from the nineteen whatevers or eighteen eighteen

628
00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:00,320
Speaker 6: hundred time.

629
00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:05,440
Speaker 5: You know what, we need our own archives. Why reference

630
00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:07,920
Speaker 5: foreign designers? Why not reference our own?

631
00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:11,560
Speaker 6: And to be honest as a designer today, I desire

632
00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:14,320
Speaker 6: that I desire to be like, oh, who are the.

633
00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:16,040
Speaker 5: Designers I can reference? But they aren't they?

634
00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:18,400
Speaker 6: But likely we have a culture that we can still

635
00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:20,200
Speaker 6: reference and look back to and be like, okay, fine,

636
00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:24,080
Speaker 6: I'll take from the culture, from the broad cultural spectrum

637
00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:27,280
Speaker 6: that exists and be influenced by that. So I think

638
00:33:27,280 --> 00:33:29,240
Speaker 6: it's important for us to have our own.

639
00:33:29,080 --> 00:33:29,920
Speaker 5: People to reference.

640
00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:32,440
Speaker 6: With this in fashion, with it's in music, whether it's

641
00:33:32,440 --> 00:33:34,480
Speaker 6: in film, to be able to study our own films

642
00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:38,200
Speaker 6: and lecture theaters and be like okay, Joe jangu In, Yeah,

643
00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:40,160
Speaker 6: twenty twenty, this is what they created, This was the

644
00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:42,560
Speaker 6: narrative behind it. Why were these sort of stories being

645
00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:45,720
Speaker 6: told this year? What was the influence and how can

646
00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:48,120
Speaker 6: we reinterpret it for you.

647
00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:52,360
Speaker 5: Know, twenty eighty or something. So I feel like that's

648
00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:53,440
Speaker 5: important to have your.

649
00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:56,920
Speaker 6: Own people to be able to reference, even from lecture material.

650
00:33:57,440 --> 00:34:00,640
Speaker 6: Like half the time when people write on Zimbabwe or politics,

651
00:34:00,640 --> 00:34:02,600
Speaker 6: it's a foreigner writing about us.

652
00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:10,560
Speaker 5: No excuse me, no, no, yeah, how do I know

653
00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:13,120
Speaker 5: you're even telling the truth? And even with like research

654
00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:13,880
Speaker 5: and references.

655
00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:16,480
Speaker 6: One thing I've learnt about Zimbabweans is that when they

656
00:34:16,480 --> 00:34:19,359
Speaker 6: get interviewed about a certain topic by a foreigner, they

657
00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:23,000
Speaker 6: pander to the interview so they say what they think

658
00:34:23,080 --> 00:34:29,320
Speaker 6: the interviewer once. Yeah, what it is the difference of

659
00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:31,680
Speaker 6: I go into a real community and I want to ask.

660
00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:33,560
Speaker 5: What, what's what's the life on the ground.

661
00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:37,799
Speaker 6: That kind of camaraderie, brother sister conversation will be so

662
00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:40,360
Speaker 6: different than from what they will have with a foreigner.

663
00:34:40,719 --> 00:34:42,160
Speaker 5: And you'll find if you were to put the two

664
00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:44,880
Speaker 5: documentations together, like wow, that was vastly different.

665
00:34:45,680 --> 00:34:50,960
Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely, And we are a prideful people, so we'll

666
00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:53,239
Speaker 2: present a certain image to you because you're like, I

667
00:34:53,239 --> 00:34:55,080
Speaker 2: ain't telling you my house is burning right now.

668
00:34:55,760 --> 00:34:56,560
Speaker 5: I'm not done.

669
00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:00,000
Speaker 6: Or if you want to tell me that my strugg

670
00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:01,880
Speaker 6: is this, because I know that's what you want me

671
00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:04,120
Speaker 6: to say. Have you ever had like those interviews when

672
00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:06,880
Speaker 6: someone interviews you asked you a question with an answer

673
00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:07,279
Speaker 6: and it's.

674
00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:08,200
Speaker 5: Like why did you ask?

675
00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:14,399
Speaker 4: Yeah, or when they literally want to hear you talk

676
00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:16,319
Speaker 4: about struggle and you're like, oh, no, I didn't grow

677
00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:18,239
Speaker 4: up like that was yeah, I didn't grow up like that,

678
00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:23,560
Speaker 4: Like no, but like you're you're you're Africa, you gotta struggle.

679
00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:24,439
Speaker 1: And I'm like, I.

680
00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:28,080
Speaker 2: Mean yes, but not like yeah, yeah, I see that

681
00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:30,200
Speaker 2: a lot with travel and when we tell them, I

682
00:35:30,200 --> 00:35:32,400
Speaker 2: mean even you guys talking about growing up in Ghana

683
00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:34,799
Speaker 2: for a part of your childhoods or saying, oh, we

684
00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:36,560
Speaker 2: used to travel a lot when we were kids, you

685
00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:39,560
Speaker 2: know a Zimbabwe was working, like you know, it's like

686
00:35:39,920 --> 00:35:41,759
Speaker 2: one of those things probably be like no, we don't

687
00:35:41,800 --> 00:35:46,920
Speaker 2: want to hear that story, like this is a valid

688
00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:49,759
Speaker 2: including mine, you know it is.

689
00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:54,359
Speaker 4: Absolutely do you know what you talk about being referenced

690
00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:58,520
Speaker 4: by other designers in the future, which is so beautiful.

691
00:35:58,560 --> 00:36:01,840
Speaker 4: And I think even as a customer like who wants

692
00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:03,640
Speaker 4: to you know, we had the whole movement of by

693
00:36:03,719 --> 00:36:09,080
Speaker 4: black after twenty twenty, the riots in the US. Legitimately,

694
00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:12,080
Speaker 4: I think I sometimes and I'm like, oh, I need

695
00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:15,680
Speaker 4: something new, and I'm like, okay, African designers and it's

696
00:36:15,840 --> 00:36:20,680
Speaker 4: all you know, someone from UK based, American based, typically Nigerian,

697
00:36:20,800 --> 00:36:26,680
Speaker 4: maybe Gannaan, maybe some one or two other nationalities, and

698
00:36:26,760 --> 00:36:29,319
Speaker 4: even as like other fellows Zimbabweans.

699
00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:30,960
Speaker 5: It's hard because you can't even be.

700
00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:34,239
Speaker 4: Like hekay, so I bought a cozy from you know

701
00:36:34,520 --> 00:36:38,040
Speaker 4: this and like I'm telling you a hot girl summer

702
00:36:38,239 --> 00:36:39,359
Speaker 4: in a zimbabwin fit.

703
00:36:39,600 --> 00:36:44,919
Speaker 5: I'm telling you I got a little yeah, you know,

704
00:36:45,320 --> 00:36:46,560
Speaker 5: but like do you get what I mean?

705
00:36:46,600 --> 00:36:50,359
Speaker 4: It's like even from that level of like you're kind

706
00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:52,120
Speaker 4: of like thrown like where do I go?

707
00:36:52,360 --> 00:36:53,640
Speaker 5: Or like what do I choose?

708
00:36:54,320 --> 00:36:56,879
Speaker 4: And that's why I think First Fashion continues to thrive

709
00:36:56,960 --> 00:36:58,680
Speaker 4: because we're just like you know what, I just this.

710
00:36:58,719 --> 00:37:00,800
Speaker 5: Is easier to access or to fine. True.

711
00:37:02,280 --> 00:37:05,600
Speaker 4: As we prepare to wrap up, I wanted to ask

712
00:37:05,680 --> 00:37:09,600
Speaker 4: you what your ideal client would be, like, who is

713
00:37:09,640 --> 00:37:13,359
Speaker 4: someone who because you also do you know, to order,

714
00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:15,920
Speaker 4: you make to order a lot of your club. I

715
00:37:15,960 --> 00:37:17,640
Speaker 4: remember I felt like I was auditioning.

716
00:37:17,840 --> 00:37:23,520
Speaker 5: I was like, who, I hope you know? Fine?

717
00:37:25,080 --> 00:37:25,759
Speaker 1: You know what I mean?

718
00:37:26,200 --> 00:37:27,560
Speaker 5: So what's your deal? Client?

719
00:37:28,719 --> 00:37:31,440
Speaker 6: You know, I usually have like a broad descriptor, and

720
00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:33,560
Speaker 6: I always say it's the conscious wonderer that what I

721
00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:37,160
Speaker 6: mean by that is someone that is open to learning,

722
00:37:37,239 --> 00:37:40,319
Speaker 6: someone that cares and is intentional about what they wear.

723
00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:43,239
Speaker 6: They care about the materials, they care about the stories

724
00:37:43,360 --> 00:37:47,480
Speaker 6: as much as the actual final product, and there are

725
00:37:47,719 --> 00:37:51,320
Speaker 6: in a sense exposed. They want to see the world.

726
00:37:51,320 --> 00:37:53,080
Speaker 6: They want to see what the world has to offer,

727
00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:55,040
Speaker 6: whether it's just like even your own space.

728
00:37:55,080 --> 00:37:56,439
Speaker 5: Let's say, if you can't afford.

729
00:37:56,160 --> 00:37:59,160
Speaker 6: To travel to the States and be curious about where

730
00:37:59,160 --> 00:38:01,919
Speaker 6: you come from, least try and figure out like what's

731
00:38:01,960 --> 00:38:04,040
Speaker 6: happening in your space. So that's why always say the

732
00:38:04,120 --> 00:38:07,839
Speaker 6: curious wonder us. Someone that is curious, wants to learn,

733
00:38:07,880 --> 00:38:10,360
Speaker 6: wants to grow what's to be exposed, and wants to

734
00:38:10,400 --> 00:38:14,080
Speaker 6: live an intentional life as much as they possibly can.

735
00:38:15,080 --> 00:38:17,239
Speaker 6: It's not an easy thing to do because sometimes life

736
00:38:17,320 --> 00:38:20,520
Speaker 6: is happening. But I feel like when you put intention

737
00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:23,760
Speaker 6: into things, you get a better result out of it. Ultimately,

738
00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:25,400
Speaker 6: it's a win win for everyone involved.

739
00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:35,960
Speaker 2: Question just preaching to us just like bars, any upcoming

740
00:38:36,040 --> 00:38:38,920
Speaker 2: projects that you we should look forward to. Obviously you

741
00:38:38,960 --> 00:38:42,880
Speaker 2: can share with our listeners anything happening for your store.

742
00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:45,680
Speaker 2: I know you also got a store in Helensvale, you know,

743
00:38:45,800 --> 00:38:48,600
Speaker 2: can we just because if some people might have been like, hustle.

744
00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:50,520
Speaker 1: Stone, what's this? I've never heard of this? Where can

745
00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:54,920
Speaker 1: they find? You? Just share all about yourself with us, please.

746
00:38:54,760 --> 00:38:57,359
Speaker 4: House of Stone. The name am I correct to say?

747
00:38:57,360 --> 00:39:00,600
Speaker 4: It comes from Zimbabwe, which comes from zimbabe ma which.

748
00:39:01,200 --> 00:39:03,799
Speaker 1: Literally we get but with.

749
00:39:03,760 --> 00:39:16,200
Speaker 8: A twist because she speus h a u okay, but

750
00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:19,360
Speaker 8: no like it doesn't like things that I happened oh

751
00:39:19,640 --> 00:39:21,239
Speaker 8: so much with the showroom.

752
00:39:21,360 --> 00:39:25,279
Speaker 6: Actually, the angle that I took was really different. I

753
00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:27,759
Speaker 6: guess people would call it a store because there's things

754
00:39:27,760 --> 00:39:29,279
Speaker 6: that they can go in and buy. But the reason

755
00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:30,840
Speaker 6: I called it a show was it was more of

756
00:39:30,920 --> 00:39:33,319
Speaker 6: like a display space where people could come in and

757
00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:35,640
Speaker 6: see the pieces that I have available, order them and

758
00:39:35,680 --> 00:39:38,000
Speaker 6: I can make them and if they like it what's

759
00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:40,200
Speaker 6: in store and they fit it, then they can buy

760
00:39:40,239 --> 00:39:43,799
Speaker 6: it off the rail but then I also incorporated other creatives,

761
00:39:43,880 --> 00:39:47,640
Speaker 6: other zimbabwe and females Zimbabwean creatives. And you know the

762
00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:51,359
Speaker 6: funny thing about it is when I invited all these

763
00:39:51,440 --> 00:39:54,359
Speaker 6: other amazing Zimbabwean creatives to be a part of it,

764
00:39:54,480 --> 00:39:55,960
Speaker 6: I was like, Hey, we can have a one stop

765
00:39:56,080 --> 00:39:59,440
Speaker 6: shop being experienced where maybe someone comes to see me,

766
00:39:59,560 --> 00:40:02,120
Speaker 6: then they can see Boyeka or see patch my Walko

767
00:40:02,239 --> 00:40:05,160
Speaker 6: and discover other brands and we can sort of cross market.

768
00:40:05,520 --> 00:40:08,440
Speaker 6: But the thing that I later discovered was all my

769
00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:12,560
Speaker 6: suppliers were female, and I was like, that was not intentional,

770
00:40:12,680 --> 00:40:15,960
Speaker 6: But I felt like I always believe in the spirit

771
00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:19,080
Speaker 6: and the mood of the times, right and for me,

772
00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:21,520
Speaker 6: I felt like that was telling me that it's the

773
00:40:21,600 --> 00:40:22,480
Speaker 6: time of the sheep.

774
00:40:22,760 --> 00:40:23,920
Speaker 5: Women need to come together.

775
00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:28,399
Speaker 6: Women creatives are doing things, amazing things, and we can

776
00:40:28,560 --> 00:40:32,080
Speaker 6: work together. This stanky narrative that we can't work together,

777
00:40:32,160 --> 00:40:34,200
Speaker 6: it's a lie from the pets.

778
00:40:33,880 --> 00:40:36,960
Speaker 1: Of how yees say it again?

779
00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:39,839
Speaker 5: Hi? Right?

780
00:40:40,200 --> 00:40:42,000
Speaker 6: You know, I feel like that narrative has sort of

781
00:40:42,080 --> 00:40:45,160
Speaker 6: like been people keep saying that narratives sort of trying

782
00:40:45,160 --> 00:40:46,280
Speaker 6: and convince us women.

783
00:40:46,040 --> 00:40:48,160
Speaker 5: That we don't like each other, that we can't work together.

784
00:40:48,040 --> 00:40:51,680
Speaker 6: And it's almost like trying to saturate it into our

785
00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:55,000
Speaker 6: soul so that we believe that lie and it's not true.

786
00:40:55,160 --> 00:40:58,600
Speaker 6: Because is when women do work together and we finally

787
00:40:58,640 --> 00:41:02,839
Speaker 6: find a level ground with were sisters. Whatever we are, right,

788
00:41:03,200 --> 00:41:07,560
Speaker 6: the things that we managed to accomplish exceed us as individuals.

789
00:41:07,760 --> 00:41:10,640
Speaker 6: So I said, this lie, this trap from the pips

790
00:41:10,840 --> 00:41:11,480
Speaker 6: of how.

791
00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:24,520
Speaker 5: I need Yeah, that's great.

792
00:41:24,680 --> 00:41:28,560
Speaker 4: Yeah, and you and your handles on social media. You know,

793
00:41:28,840 --> 00:41:31,239
Speaker 4: she has a website. We're gonna link everything in the

794
00:41:31,280 --> 00:41:32,480
Speaker 4: show notes and.

795
00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:32,799
Speaker 2: You know.

796
00:41:34,480 --> 00:41:37,359
Speaker 4: The description, but please share with us where we can

797
00:41:37,440 --> 00:41:39,799
Speaker 4: find you for those who are not in ZIM who

798
00:41:39,840 --> 00:41:40,319
Speaker 4: can't go.

799
00:41:40,440 --> 00:41:41,360
Speaker 5: To the showroom.

800
00:41:42,160 --> 00:41:44,759
Speaker 4: As you know, she's got a website and you can

801
00:41:44,800 --> 00:41:46,520
Speaker 4: work collaboratively with that.

802
00:41:46,680 --> 00:41:48,320
Speaker 5: I virtually, which.

803
00:41:48,239 --> 00:41:51,000
Speaker 4: Was a really she takes a very let me just say,

804
00:41:51,120 --> 00:41:52,719
Speaker 4: it's very serious business.

805
00:41:52,760 --> 00:41:55,520
Speaker 1: Like she she don't play with.

806
00:41:56,960 --> 00:42:00,239
Speaker 4: Personalizes it. She asked you what you were saying, King,

807
00:42:00,480 --> 00:42:02,879
Speaker 4: and if you have any references? Then she goes through

808
00:42:02,880 --> 00:42:05,279
Speaker 4: some of her work and says, is there anything here

809
00:42:05,280 --> 00:42:08,279
Speaker 4: that like she I don't want to kill her, you know,

810
00:42:09,200 --> 00:42:13,920
Speaker 4: but she people, I'm not getting this.

811
00:42:15,080 --> 00:42:15,960
Speaker 5: It was really nice.

812
00:42:17,680 --> 00:42:20,759
Speaker 1: Pressure. The pressure is getting wet.

813
00:42:22,480 --> 00:42:24,919
Speaker 6: It's good pressure because now I can't let my girl

814
00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:26,959
Speaker 6: down like you can't.

815
00:42:27,440 --> 00:42:28,359
Speaker 5: I can't let me down.

816
00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:31,880
Speaker 4: No, So please let us know how we how we

817
00:42:31,960 --> 00:42:35,360
Speaker 4: can find you or where we can reach you and where.

818
00:42:38,640 --> 00:42:41,480
Speaker 6: Well you can find me on social media across every

819
00:42:41,480 --> 00:42:44,480
Speaker 6: platform is house of Stone spelled h a u s

820
00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:49,080
Speaker 6: of stone and in them you can find me at

821
00:42:49,160 --> 00:42:53,759
Speaker 6: Helensville Shopping Center inside the Emmagumen Culture Center and that

822
00:42:53,880 --> 00:42:56,960
Speaker 6: place is about to be a whole vibe culturally, So

823
00:42:57,120 --> 00:42:59,160
Speaker 6: you guys have to come through because the same vibe

824
00:42:59,239 --> 00:43:00,600
Speaker 6: you guys are coming back the doors for.

825
00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:03,960
Speaker 5: Yeah, we've heard.

826
00:43:03,800 --> 00:43:06,319
Speaker 4: About emmy, I have heard about it.

827
00:43:07,160 --> 00:43:09,000
Speaker 5: Whatever you heard about it?

828
00:43:13,480 --> 00:43:18,360
Speaker 4: Yeah, okay, wonderful. Thank you so much, and I amana.

829
00:43:18,360 --> 00:43:21,240
Speaker 4: I don't know if there's anything else you want to add,

830
00:43:21,440 --> 00:43:23,840
Speaker 4: but this was just so enriching. This is why we

831
00:43:23,880 --> 00:43:27,279
Speaker 4: wanted you on the podcast. We stand people like and

832
00:43:27,320 --> 00:43:31,480
Speaker 4: I who are truly change makers in the creative industry

833
00:43:31,560 --> 00:43:33,960
Speaker 4: and ripping them so hard, like I can't even keep

834
00:43:34,040 --> 00:43:40,960
Speaker 4: up with what she has done. So much respect, much respect,

835
00:43:41,800 --> 00:43:45,480
Speaker 4: and as always, thank you for being here. Thank you

836
00:43:45,640 --> 00:43:48,879
Speaker 4: to our listeners for tuning in and spending your time

837
00:43:48,920 --> 00:43:51,399
Speaker 4: with us. We are on all the social platforms, we're

838
00:43:51,400 --> 00:43:54,920
Speaker 4: gonna link them in the description, and we look forward

839
00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:59,200
Speaker 4: to seeing you on our next episode. Bye everybody, Bye guys.

840
00:44:00,320 --> 00:44:04,640
Speaker 5: Fine yeh yeh, yeh yeh