When Kenya native Anifa Mvuemba began designing, she was quite hesitant to start her own line. “It took me a while to believe in myself and to understand that I could actually do it,” she says. After lots of hard work and motivation from friends and family, Mvuemba launched her design label in December 2011. The label is appropriately named Hanifa Mvuemba, which is Arabic for “believe”, and stands as a testament of her journey.
Ranging in price from $35 to $300, Hanifa Mvuemba is a chic, contemporary women’s clothing line varying in different shapes, textures and styles. The current Spring/Summer 2013 collection titled MOD (short for ‘modern’) ranges from long gowns to cocktail dresses and jump suits. Everything is clean, sleek, progressive and sexy.
Although the brand is just shy of 2-years-old, Mvuemba has already released four different collections and has claimed a wide variety of clientele all over Washington D.C. Along with creating pieces for her collections, Mvuemba also designs custom pieces for clients. There is even word of her launching a men’s line later this year. EBONY.com chatted with the young designer about her inspirations and about her future plans for her clothing brand.
EBONY.com: What are some of the things that inspire you and your designs?
Anifa Mvuemba: I travel a lot, so I use my traveling as inspiration as well as the people in my life. I recently traveled to Turkey, which really shaped my Spring/Summer line. I’ve also traveled to places like Dubai and New York City, so global travel is an on-going source of inspiration.
EBONY.com: Who is the girl you’re designing for?
AM: I design for the girl that is young, fun, bold, daring and chic. She isn’t afraid to be sexy.
EBONY.com: What are some of the short-term goals for Hanifa Mvuemba?
AM: You can expect to see much more growth and more creativity. I’m constantly trying to evolve, and so that’s what we’ll be doing, evolving.
To see more of Mvuemba’s designs, visit her site at www.shophanifa.com
-Imani Kai
Source-ebony.com
Kenyan Fashion Designer in D.C. Featured in Ebony Magazine
Kenyan Fashion Designer in D.C. Featured in Ebony Magazine
