TAKUDZWA HILLARY CHIWANZA
The African Heritage Fashion Show, a collaborative creation by Africa One Identity and Chico Fashions, lit up Café Momo in Rhodesville on 1 November 2025 with an unforgettable celebration of pan-African identity, artistry and cultural pride. Framed by the theme “Let’s celebrate African culture and traditions through vibrant colours, prints and designs inspired by different African countries,” the showcase delivered a powerful, visually striking affirmation of who we are as Africans, and of how fashion remains one of our most expressive cultural languages.
Africa One Identity is the brainchild of Kelelo Dhlamini, and Chico Fashions is a fashion enterprise that belongs to Reason Chiyangwa, popularly known as Mr Chico.
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| Image: African Heritage Fashion Show |
What unfolded at Café Momo was more of a cultural homecoming. From the first drumbeat to the final walk on the runway, the atmosphere held a charged, emotional sense of unity; as though the room itself understood the importance of reasserting African narratives through creativity. It was the kind of night that leaves you thinking, we need this more often; this is how fashion should feel.
A major highlight was the impressive cross-border participation. Designers and models from Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia joined Zimbabwean creatives on the runway, giving the showcase true continental breadth. Their involvement elevated the show into a fully pan-African experience—a living argument against the artificial borders that still divide Africans. Fashion became a shared language, a bridge, a reminder that collaboration is not only possible but necessary.
Before the collections took centre stage, cultural teams from each participating country opened the night with performances in dance and song. These acts created a deep sense of belonging that resonated through the venue, serving as a reminder that fashion, at its best, is inextricable from the stories, expressions and rhythms that shape our identity.
Watching the cultural demonstrations, one could feel a profound desire for unity: an unspoken understanding that Africa is strongest when it celebrates itself collectively.
When the runway finally lit up, it did so with colour, confidence, and unabashed vibrancy. The collections showcased were magnificent—bold prints, symbolic patterns, rich textiles, silhouettes infused with traditional references yet moulded through contemporary imagination.
Each look seemed to carry a story, an echo of heritage woven into modern design. It was fashion that did not merely decorate the body, but honoured histories, celebrated identity, and pushed back against reductive narratives about African creativity.
In its vision and execution, the African Heritage Fashion Show positioned itself as a counter-hegemonic artistic statement, reminding us that African design is sophisticated, diverse, and rooted in deep cultural knowledge. It championed the uniqueness of our traditions while showing how these traditions can be reinterpreted, shared, and used to build creative industries that uplift communities across the continent.
Kudos to Africa One Identity and Chico Fashions for curating such a meaningful, memorable event. Their work in bringing multiple African nations together on one runway deserves applause, not only for its artistic excellence but for its deeper message: that African fashion is borderless, collaborative, and rich with stories waiting to be told.
If this inaugural edition is anything to go by, the African Heritage Fashion Show has the potential to grow into a cornerstone of Zimbabwe’s (and Africa’s at large) cultural calendar. We can only hope for more editions in the coming years, featuring even more countries and even bolder expressions of African brilliance.
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