Abram champions African contemporary fashion

Thato Kala | Friday August 15, 2014 11:20

 

Though Botswana may not be big on African contemporary fashion, Glenda Abram hopes that it will catch on. 

She uses her passion for the art of blending bright colours with African print in a way that will effortlessly catch anyone’s eye.

The few garments she shows Arts & Culture have an element of style taken from her mother’s generation, with a modern touch stylishly added to make them grand.

“I loved what women around the continent would put on. I wanted that to be able to be worn by a much youthful person,” she says.

Her style does not expose women in any way, but still leaves them, whether young or old, with the much-loved ‘swag’.

“They give a sense of dignity and culture in a much more adaptable way in the modern world,” she says. The designer, stylist, and tailor in Abram is consumed by an enthusiasm for fashion, something that has been growing within her since her days at tertiary school. Admittedly, this was never a dream that she had when growing up.  The only pointer to any artistic ability, as a history lover, was her rushed form five project.  She pulled off a smashing Carribean jungle theme in her final year at Maru-A-Pula School and it was rated the best.

Thereafter, she wanted to study International Events Management at Limkokwing University, but ended up in completely different area of study.

In fact, she repeatedly says that her love for developed over time. “I was not entirely passionate about it.  My first choice was International Events Management, but it was not offered then.  I am a practical person and not an academic person, so my only option then was fashion,” Abram says.

Now that she is fully engrossed in it, she does not see that love fading away.

“When something is a part of you it never dies. When I eat, travel, look at buildings or cars I am thinking fashion,” she says.

Abram glows as she explains her job is about consulting clients’ styles and then designing on paper the final product.

“We sit down with the client, choose a fabric, pattern, colour and anything to do with the garment,” she explains. But for a good five years, she was pulled away from fashion after taking up a job as a customer sales executive for beMobile.

She admits that had nothing to do with her passion for fashion, but thinks it was extreemly beneficial.

“It was not in line with my passion and qualifications, but it taught me customer service.  I got a lot of experience, my communication, patience towards people, understanding customers improved immensely,” she says.

Now, she is able to apply what she acquired from that experience and it is working pretty well.

“Dealing with people at that level has made it easy for me, for example, to understand what working class women love in terms of type of dress,” she says.

So, when her contract with beMobile expired in February, she saw it as a step towards living a dream birthed during her tertiary days.

Picking up from where she left off in fashion was fairly easy for her.

She made the cultural attire for the Miss Earth winner and seven other contestants.

“When I saw those young women posing on the stage it was mind-blowing,” she says.

Knowing that the winner of the contest wore her own work capped off a fine night for the woman who hails from Mogobane.

Despite the fresh success, she vividly remembers her first client.  She made a wedding gown for the client, dresses for bridesmaids and suits for the groomsmen. “That brought me to tears.  I noticed I had talent that day,” she says. She does acknowledge fashion, like any other art is inbred, but takes a firm stand on the need to go to school to sharpen the craft.

“We may be talented, but we need skill to get it perfected and you have to go to school for it.”

Abram says she learnt the foundations and history of fashion, to choose fabrics and what a cloth is made of.

“Where would I have learnt what skin types go well with what type of fabrics?” she asks.

Her thoughts on the local industry are that it is slowly emerging. She says those involved in fashion need to be a little patient as she thinks tangible fruits will be seen within the next five years.

Her utmost desire is to see two-week Fashion Weeks running in the country for purposes of exposing young designers.

The chatty fashionista has her inspiration drawn from Sweetie’s Fashion Shop in African Mall and a local fashion designer Aobakwe Molosiwa.

Internationally, she admires David Tlale and popular labels Dolce and Gabbana, and Da Vinci.

She has already had a complete collection showcased and that was at Thapong Visual Arts Centre under the designer category alongside painters, sketchers and musicians. The reception pleased her and gave her reason to continue doing what she loves.

“I get inspiration when I am cooking and listening to my worship music,” she says.

She picks American gospel crooner, Israel Houghton, Australia’s leading band Hillsong and South Africa’s Joyous Celebration as her favourites. Being her mother’s only child, Abram says her mother is always the first person to see her work and gets blown away each time.

“She’s usually blown away when she sees what I do,” she says. She envisions her label Kadosh-Diya exhibiting at the Nigeria Fashion Week and Cape Town Fashion Week in five years’ time.

Seeing several boutiques under her name around Gaborone remains a dream she wants to see come to pass. She has been to Zambia, Malawi and Nigeria to buy material and says those visits have inspired her to appreciate African fashion.

“Zambian fabrics are strong and bold, and the colours are vibrant.  Malawi’s are soft, while Nigerian fabrics are really elegant,” she says. But the one market she feels would offer her with the much-needed fashion exposure is South Africa.

“I wouldn’t mind letting myself flow in the fashion industry in South Africa,” she says.

Apart from fashion, Abram loves young people and organising events.

She will get to do a lot of that with a group of budding hip hop gospel youngsters who have asked her to manage them. The multi-tasker says she is up for the task.

She is also an avid reader and says she is currently turning the pages of Unquenchable Fire and The Secret.

Abram loves eating pasta and calamari.