Abram breaking male fashion dominance
Thato Kala | Friday January 30, 2015 15:00
Botswana’s budding fashion designer, Glenda Abram, admits it is a strange affair.
She knows fashion is a passion for women, revealing that the vast majority of her Fashion Design classmates at Limkokwing University were women.
Interestingly, her favourite fashion designer is a male – South Africa’s David Tlale.
All along, Abram has been dressing women until a male friend placed an order last October.
The diminutive designer says that piece made her realise she had “an insight into what men want to wear”. That has ingeniously shaped her new mantra in ‘designing clothes that men want to wear’ as she goes on a quest to reclaim men’s wardrobes from male designers.
“I realised that guys actually love fashion. It just has to be tasteful and mind-blowing to actually move them to have a bit of interest,” she says.
But she has had to learn that the country’s scorching sun ‘can be disastrous’ for fashionistas.
The Maru-a-Pula School alumnus knows she cannot use any fabric in Botswana.
“I use linen and soft cotton,” she explains, adding that fabric-choice is a bit of a challenge.
“Men do not like heavy tailored things on their bodies so the lighter the fabric the better,” she says.
And now she dresses Zimbabwean Neo Soul muso, Tafadzwa ‘Tafnaz’ Nazare, and gospel outfit, One27. Nazare, her brand ambassador, says of the designer’s men’s line Dicassa Nazario: “Her getting into doing male clothes the way she’s doing shows me Glen doesn’t follow trends, she makes them”.
Abram is of the same mind when it comes to trends, but wants it to go beyond that as she seeks to salvage men’s wardrobes from male stylists. The resounding approval her men’s line has received simply points to growth.
“This to me shows I am growing as a designer and am open-minded to step into areas I never thought I would ever step into. I’m allowing myself to be driven by passion and I love it,” she says. Her insight into what men want to wear tells her dark skinned men look dazzling in bright shades. She always wants her male clients to look younger when donning her attires.
“I choose a design that will not make him look older but younger, fashionable and fresh. A fashion inspiration for other guys,” she says.
And now she intends to make a bold statement later this year by displaying what she terms as a ‘fierce’ collection for men at her first solo fashion show. She says: “We need to allow men to drool and enjoy fashion”.
Apart from that, she yearns to be part of the SADC Fashion Show.
With orders already coming from as far as the United Kingdom, the chatty designer believes she is overly ready to flaunt her work outside the country. She is buoyed by her 2014 Miss Earth outfit win.
“It was a pat on the back for me,” she says.
And the secret behind all this, she says, is her passion for the art of blending bright colours and combining African print in a way that will effortlessly catch anyone’s eye.
She also credits Nazare for his input into what she makes every day.
“I have my own lab as should every scientist, ‘Tafnaz’ is my brand ambassador so whatever I make we sit together and he lets me into his head. He allows me to take a few of his ideas, put them together with mine then he wears the first piece for people to react to it,” she says.
She hails the recording singer and songwriter as the new rising star in Botswana, singling him out as the reason her male clients never think twice about returning to her for their next piece of clothing.
Abram, who is in her late 20s, says: “I have designed for a few guys and they keep coming for extras. Most of them say my colour combination and use of fabric feels amazing to the skin. Not heavy for Botswana weather”.
Interestingly, she believes her designs can be worn on any occasion – be it at work or at a wedding.
Apart from Tlale, Abram adores two popular labels Dolce and Gabbana and Da Vinci.
She once had a complete collection showcased and that was at Thapong Visual Arts Centre under the designers’ category alongside painters, sketchers and musicians.
The self-assured fashionista is convinced her men’s show will set her apart as a leader in men’s clothing.