Rahma Bajun Is Pioneering Afrocentric Fashion In Tanzania
Apart from the fact that African wears are colorful and visually appealing, they are part of Africa’s cultural elements. In other words, you can tell the ethnicity of some people by simply looking at their attire.
Nevertheless, the eclipse of modernity sometimes seems to interfere with how stylish people regard African apparel. A section of the younger generation now sees some African fabrics as outdated or distasteful.
Thankfully, designers like Rahma Bajun are helping to rewrite that narrative. The creative African designer has brought African clothing sense to the world in such an irresistible manner, thereby increasing the international acceptability of African garments.
In this week’s episode of Designer Spotlight, African Vibes presents the ingenuity and creativity of Rahma Bajun that is deepening the water channel of African fashion so that it will freely flow to other continents.
Who is Rahma Bajun?
Rahma Bajun is a personality endowed in all aspects of life. She is a development expert, feminist advocate, author of The Wave-Migraineur Memoir, and an award-winning creative consultant. As a project manager, she is conversant with governance, accountability, justice, and rule of law.
She is also familiar with grantmaking, advocacy, budget management, democracy, natural resources management, and advocacy for youth and marginalized groups (disabled).
It is not surprising because she studied Sociology between 2008 and 2011 at the University of Dar es Salaam where she also bagged her master’s degree in Research and Public Policy in 2017.
Even with all her pedigree, Rahma Bajun did not neglect her passion for Africa. Rahma grew up loving African fashion. Spurred by her love, she would always look for African prints but there was a problem.
She noticed that the demand for African wear was higher than the supply, thus creating a wide gap in commercialization and acceptance. Due to her innate passion for African garments, she decided to open a fashion line called MnM clothing line.
MnM Clothing line is an afro-centric fashion enterprise. Using the famous African Kitenge material, the creative director alongside seven of her staff dishes out different designs of clothing as well as accessories like book covers, wallets, neck pillows, round seats, etc.
Categories of fashion Products by Rahma Bajun
Unlike other designers who narrow their niche to a particular type of cloth, Rahma Bajun lets her imagination run wild. Her products cut across children to adult males and females wears as well as other household accessories.
Through this business model, she has been able to expand her customer base to include different age groups and people who would naturally not care about African fashion.
Children wear
Designers usually don’t waste their time on children’s fashion because they think children have no clue about what it means to be fashionable. However, generation Z mothers are increasingly becoming conscious of what their children wear.
Therefore, finding fashionable children’s wear is often a tall order. This vacuum is what Rahma Bajun wants to fill with her children’s wear line. Her children’s wears are trendy, comfortable, and often matches those of the kid’s parents.
Create the perfect family bond by wearing identical gowns from MnM Clothing Line with your child.
As simple as they look, they are very comfortable and trendy.
These Ankara wears have no embroidery yet, there is a royal touch to them that increases your longing.
Male children are well represented in MnM Clothing Line. Rahma Bajun makes her products as appealing as possible.
The energy and work put into each work come back to make a significant signature in the fashion world.
Female wears
Rahma Bajun is not just a fashion director, she is also an activist and feminist. Therefore, it will not be out of place for MnM to dedicate part of her whole creativity to carving out new and comfortable African clothing for women.
MnM converted this Ankara print into a loose-fitting gown to give pregnant and nursing mothers the option of appearing stylish without throwing away their comfort. Its simplicity also discourages gaudy fashion.
Bubu is an African loose gown worn mostly by women to conceal their shapes without looking unattractive. However, to capture attention while wearing Bubu, there is a need to have a good fashion designer.
The above was made in Tanzania to give a savory taste to women. Rahma provides a waist belt here to bring out some feminine looks from the gown.
When females say that pink is a feminine color, the above Bubu is what they have in mind. However, like a bland soup that needs spicing, Rahma adds some fragments of creativity at the helm of the gown to make another fashion statement.
Formal wears
Did you observe that the color of the lady’s skin tones with the color combination of the suit? This is what happens when you stay around a professional stylist like Rahma. This safari suit is simple but creates that consciousness of African fashion.
Blazers
Making a fashion statement is not just about making regular clothes. It means being unique in a peculiar style without causing sight conflict. With Ankara material, Rahma Bajun makes suits thereby giving her clients a formal look as well as making them ambassadors of the African continent.
Casual wears
There are instances when you want to appear casual, like at home, or when hanging out at the beach. This type of African emblem on a round neck gives you an identity as an African. It also serves as a souvenir that can easily be mass-produced by MnM Clothing Line.
This collarless shirt from MnM is close-fitting and non-restrictive and can allow more air around your neck on hot summer afternoons. Rahma Bajun made this shirt so that you have the option of wearing it under your lightweight blazer in a way that will make you look official.
Other items made by Rahma Bajun
Rahma Bajun does not only provide fashionable clothing for her clients, she also looks at other things that can be made with local fabrics. These items are a mixture of passion, ingenuity and creativity.
Bags
Backpack helps in organizing equipment and accessories needed by either students or hikers. Travelers often use it for easy movement during journey. Therefore, MnM makes a backpack that is African both in origin and in look.
This classy handbag has a harmony of Ankara and leather. You can carry your daily essentials while looking classy. It has a strap so that you can hang it on the shoulder while on the move.
Seats
In MnM, seats do not only mean an object of relaxation and comfort, but it also means a peculiar way of representing human origin.
With the aid of a carpenter, Rahma is able to give seat an African identity. The seat above is both modern and African.
Neck pillow
A neck pillow seems to be the most creative work for Rahma Bajun.
Falling asleep during long journeys can be very uncomfortable, yet, near impossible to avoid.
The provision of neck pillows to help people support their necks is phenomenal.
Rahma truly understands that prevention is better than cure. You can literarily make the neck pillows disappear by wearing matching outfits.
Conclusion
In 2018, Bajun was listed in Forbes Magazine, among 30 most young promising entrepreneurs in Africa and also among the top ten young african entrepreneurs in 2019.
The midas’ touch of Rahma in the fashion world has led many non-Africans to embrace African fashion. Therefore, it is not surprising that Rahma is writing her name on the sands of time.
It only takes a giant decision to follow your passion and the world will celebrate you like Rahma Bajun.
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