Black Scissors Designer

BlackScissors Urge Designers To Complement African Film Industry.*****


Harare, September 14, 2004 -


Leading Zimbabwean ethnic designers BlackScissors, have urged

established and upcoming fashion designers to complement filmmakers in

encouraging a continental movie culture by lending more elegance and

glamour to the African film industry.


In a press release issued during the just ended Zimbabwe International

Film Festival (ZIFF 2004), BlackScissors said, “fashion designers can be

oddly complementary in time, place, and sense to African film

productions being set in different eras, or in locations they have never

visited or known.”



“If designers extend their knowledge in fashion, their subtle use of

colour in designs, functional detail, cut and fit, the wardrobe becomes

technically perfect,” said the designers.


BlackScissors said, “International film festivals such as ZIFF offer

opportunities of creative expression, and if African costume designers

are involved in African film projects, they will be on par with world

class couturiers and will surely have a palpable influence on public

taste.”


Fashion captures the look of any given society, recreates the old

reflects the modern, and invents the future, evoking both present and

past historical ideas. Fashion strengthens characters, adds flamboyance,

sophistication, competence, ability and style. It creates images of the

working class, the youthful, the adult, the party goers, and it gives

an edge of erotica, power, and wealth as well as images matched to

people’s status.


BlackScissors ,Zimbabwe’s futuristic design house was founded by the

versatile artist Novell Zwangendaba, and Peter Rabvukwa (jr.) who quit

piloting to pursue fashion. The duo has actively supported the arts

designing for leading musicians, actors and TV presenters.


PLAY INSPIRES ETHNIC FASHION DESIGNERS

Harare- 13 November 2004


Versatile Harare ethnic fashion designers, the BlackScissors pair of

award-winning artist Novell Zwangendaba and the London-trained Peter

Rabvukwa, have unveiled their 2005 collection inspired by themes

drawn from ‘All Systems Out Of Order,’ a social commentary written by

young Zimbabwean playwright Tafadzwa Muzondo.


Titled "Circumcise" their ready-to-wear women’s collection

(on show at Beatrice Embroidery Fashions) is BlackScissors’ follow up

to their 2003 Mode In Afrika’s presentation, "Systems of

Thought."


Zwangendaba and Rabvukwa said when they were asked to make costumes

for Muzondo's social commentary which premiered in Harare recently,

they "got emotionally moved by the play's biting sattire."


"When human values decay, and when speech is corrupted, and when

morals are rotten, there becomes a serious and an urgent need to

circumcise our thoughts, and transform our systematic way of thinking

into a state of wellness again," said the designers.


"Circumcise, is greatly inspired by what we saw, heard and

queried in Tafadzwa’s play, and in this collection we are

incorporating some soul-searching themes into our creations."


All in white and cream, the collection is BlackScissors' first

women’s ready-to-wear ethnic range, a departure from the duo’s

traditional menswear designs. Sophistication, elegance, style and

ethnicity are all embraced in their latest creations. The designers

said they are not confined to menswear alone and they are not bound

to "de-construction."


"Certain individuals think we must only focus our artistry on

menswear only, and invest our creativity in deconstructed garments

alone. We respect their opinion but, surely, when we ventured into

fashion we did not envisage gender as the rule, we are fashion

designers and are at liberty to design for both sexes. We are even

looking forward to designing a range for pets, interior deco and

more."


Zwangendaba and Rabvukwa are on record as advocating for an African

movie culture complemented by the continent’s fashion designers, All

Systems Out Of Order, is their first contact with the world of

physical theater.


The duo, whose longtime personal friendship developed into a vibrant

ethnic design partnership, is involved in fashion designing for the

television, beauty pageants, humanitarian events, music, dance and

various other cultural and arts-related activities. BlackScissors is

evidently Zimbabwe’s most energetic design pair.

Harare-based fashion designers, award-winning artist (AAPAC'98) Novell Zwangendaba, Peter Rabvukwa, a young graduate from a London fashion university, launched a novel collection of futuristic urbanwear embroidered with gross ethnic details .With a collection of gently-tailored garments, BLACK SCISSORS is attracted by ethnic shapes and symbols, and is inspired by "nhembe philosophy" as well as the ever-evolving African lifestyles. The duo known as BLACK SCISSORS are blending colours and designs into becoming a set of natural and cosmic designs. people want to wear fashion that talks , as much as they want music that can be seen. For Africa, the two designers have finally realised they are an essential part of world culture. It is a time of renaissance. Their design-brief includes colour blue which is believed not to be an Zimbabwean colour. But it is an African colour , as it is an Universal colour, as long as Africa has a sky, rivers and flags like that of Somalia. Africa is continent of great artistry, of unlimited resources, of minerals and wealth, and of fashion extravaganza and these (despite the wars , politics and poverty) are all worth celebrating.


The young designers have presented their collections at several fashion events including the Newbury Designer Show, in fact BLACK SCISSORS has been around for a while, designing clothes for Zimbabwean celebs as well as popular television personalities. Last year the duo presented gift shirts to the France-based Congolese singer Papa Wemba at a joint concert with high-riding Zimbabwean musician Alick Macheso.Among the list of BLACK SCISSORS clients are artists and musicians including, Thomas Mapfumo, Go Boys,Willom Tight, Mateo, Tendai Chidarikire, Robbie Changumuka, Dudu, Dumi Ngulube & Amagents and many others.

BLACK SCISSORS is attracted by ethnic shapes and symbols representing the great Zimbabwean civilisation, the design enterprise is inspired by the "ubuntu" philosophy (that 'thou shall cover your body' and that 'clothing is an extension of the skin, the mind and the soul').BLACK SCISSORS is also inspired and influenced by the diverse and the ever-evolving African lifestyles.The label aims to merge contemporary ethnic schemes into witty and futuristic fashion for the modern man.The urban grassland provides an exotic backdrop for an original look.Hencewith a celebration of something new, colourful and exciting.

SHOWS AND PROJECTS

*Miss Universe 1999
*Newbury designer of the year 2000
*Music For Peace 2001
*Miss Zimbabwe 2001
*Model Extravaganza 2001
*Miss RTC 2000
*The Spirit Of Africa Fashion Show 2002
*Francophone Fashion Week 2002
*Miss World 2002
*The Pageant 2002
*The Children Of Ukraine 2002
*Peace Shirts 2002
*Miss Malaika 2002& 2003
*Black History Month 2003
*JOY TV 2001
*Tribute To Musician Ephat Mujuru 2002
*Mvura Naya Naya Rain Festival 2002
*Harare International Festival Of The Arts (HIFA) 2003
ZBC TV 2002/3
*Liberia Peace Project (currently working on modalities for participation
*Mode In Africa (Hosted by Alliance Francise in Bulawayo - 16-17 October 2003)

23 May 2002 "Spirit of Africa"

Fashion show hosted by the Alliance Francaise in Harare during the Francophone week which coincides with the world culture week (May 20 - 25).