The Mozambican sister duo, Nelly & Nelsa Guambe are self-taught designers. They operate a shining example of sustainable fashion, using recycled materials to create collections for their label called Mima-te. The clothing pieces they collect are upcycled by being redesigned into elegant & comfortable garments.
Their fashion label, Mima-te, a Portuguese word for ‘spoil oneself' was launched in 2012.
Given their fresh approach & love for what they do, they have received ample exposure from the Mozambican media, European publications and radio shows.
Both sisters studied in South Africa, Nelly political science and Nelsa development studies. After studies they moved back to Maputo and currently also do work for a development agency.
Asked about the story of their design they tell their story:
“Our passion for fashion started when we were kids growing up in the Mozambican town of Chicuque. On Christmas and our birthdays our mother always took us to the informal markets where second hand clothes from Europe and the US were being resold and allowed us to choose clothes for ourselves. These clothes were the only clothes that our family could afford. Through small alterations of the clothes that the tailors in the markets could do we were able to turn old dresses into new designs. Later on, we were fortunate to get two scholarships to complete our university education in South Africa where we got inspired by different designs and developed new ideas of how new African fashion should look like. Today we are back in the Mozambican capital Maputo, mostly roaming around informal markets after work to find the best pieces of clothes to redesign and recycle."
We met a Swedish designer Amanda Ericsson, with the exhibition “ the life of a dress “. We took inspiration to create our brand in 2012. Working from our home studio in Maputo we started our upcycling brand, Mima-te.”
Their Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/mimatemaputo
#photography #AfricanFashion #fashion #AfricanStyle #textile
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