Is there a uniquely Tanzanian or even Dar es Salaam concept of fashion?
This is an age-old question in Tanzania: what is the Tanzanian national dress for example? We are constantly bombarded with influences from all over the world and It seems to me we are still at a point where we are taking those influences, mainly western, and fuse them with local materials such as khanga, vitenge and beadwork. So it is still not necessarily a uniquely Tanzanian concept of fashion. However, when you look at popular expressions of fashion around the world it is increasingly apparent that we are moving into a kind of “global culture” and it is going to be interesting to see how we navigate through this while trying to create an aesthetic of our own. Do you think it’s important to refer back to traditional (and neo-traditional, such as kanga) styles in modern African fashion? Yes, I think it is important as a foundation to build on and not an end in its own! The khanga for example is gaining a lot of attention right now and designers are using it in different ways. As long
