BULAWAYO has produced many notable fashion designers, but one cannot rule out the unimaginable and creative works of Litso — a fashion label by 25-year-old Annie Maliki — who if given the platform and support could go on to conquer the world. SINDISO DUBE OWN CORRESPONDENT
To her, this is just the beginning of a journey that will usher her to stardom. She started designing at an early age before taking it as a career.
“I was taught all the art I know by my parents. My mum used to sew and my father is a cartoonist so they basically laid down the foundation for my career.
“I have been designing since childhood, but I decided to take it up as a career in March last year,” she said.
The Bulawayo-born designer is the third girl in a family of five. She did her high school at St Columbus and advanced for a diploma in marketing at Speciss College.
In her short career Litso has become a notable brand in the city and also in the country.
“Litso is named after my three-year-old daughter — Madalitso. Her name means blessings in Nyanja. My brand is all about celebrating the modern African woman. The designs are a fusion of different cultures,” Maliki said.
In her first year she made it into the top 10 young designers at Zimbabwe Fashion Week held last year in August.
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“The Zimbabwe Fashion Week was the biggest highlight of my career and I learnt a lot from it. Then I showcased at the Clothing Indaba and Fashion in the Park for Miss Earth Zimbabwe 2013,” she added.
“From that I have learnt to be more creative and I have grown. I’m more professional than I was before.
“My designs encourage people to be bold and to wear stuff that you wouldn’t normally wear on a daily basis, for example detached collers.”
Not only is she a mother and fashion designer, but a budding singer as well.
“I am more into R&B. To me music is just a hobby, but I am thinking of dropping a single in the second-half of the year.
“Being a mother and designer is a bit hard sometimes, but I try to spend as much time as possible with my baby because I travel a lot. My family is very supportive they even help me get resources to grow my brand,” she said.
Quizzed on where she would be in five years, her response was: “I will be running my brand regionally. Litso will be found in most southern African countries.”
She described fashion in short as “the expression of your character through dressing”.