The government has been wanting this for a long time. A national dress that we can wear proudly and call our own. It’s a noble idea that appeals to a lot of Zimbabweans. Unfortunately what the government came up has been roundly mocked on social media with many people calling the national dress designs hideous. This was after the government unveiled the dress last week pictures of the designs being posted on social media. The verdict was scathing-there were so atrocious no one would be caught wearing one.

No consultation

Like with everything, this announcement was a surprise as people were not even aware that the government was working on such a project. How can it be a national dress when the nation was not even consulted. We don’t even know where the dress will or is being sold or how much each apparel will cost. This irked some people to the extent that they branded the whole operation another exercise of favouritism and corruption. They asked who had designed this and how they had been awarded the contract. No answer has been provided to these questions.

So will you buy this for yourself? A few image shorts by local artist Carl Joshua Ncube however shows that when used right the cloth made to make the national dress can be beautiful especially if used sparingly. The problem with the showcased dress is that some of the designs appear dated and not in touch with youth fashion. Youths make up the bulk of Zimbabwe’s population and there is zero chance of the dress succeeding unless it appeals to this age group.

There does seem to be a few pieces that do appear good but the bulk of the pieces showcased appear dated and uninspired. They will might appeal to the older generation but as things stand it’s unlikely to be a smashing hit.