Dreaming Together | Collaboration of Dreams

"Collaboration is not about gluing together existing egos. It's about the ideas that never existed until after everyone entered the room"

Thought Leadership Zen

Lady of the moment Italian Designer Elisabetta

I recently got the opportunity to participate in the just ended prestigious La Musica Festival, a four-day music, fashion, and food festival hosted by the Italian Embassy in Zimbabwe and the ambassador, Enrico De Agostini.

(From left to right) Charmaine Turquino, Dr David Kaulem, Judith Kaulem, Italian Ambassador, Enrico De Agostini, Chenesai of Chenesai brand, Tendai Faith Mataba and Marjorie Mazonde.

At the LA Musica fashion show I collaborated with some talented designers

The budding designers that collaborated with Chenesai Brand, Noor (left) and Moreblessing (right).

From the onset, the opportunity proved to be a mammoth one which required a team. Being an avid believer of teamwork paid off once more, for the Chenesai Brand. The statement that the best work is made when people work in a team could not be any truer. For me and my team, it was such a great honor for Chenesai brand to be selected to showcase alongside top Italian and local designers as well as collaborate with young and upcoming designers, and it was a magical evening thanks to my winning team below.

See, I have worked with Tapuwa aka Cherry on top and Macartney aka Faz on several projects which made our work together at La MUSICA magical.

Ondine an Italian designer and Lisa who together dedicated to working with young and upcoming fashion designers in Zimbabwe.

Chenesai on the runway.

TANA africa show. TANA is leather accessory maker based in Zimbabwe.

deMoyo show. Paida is a Zimbabwean designer based in Harare.

Design Kusika show. Bakari is a Zimbabwean designer based in Harare.

CzeeRat show, Collin is a Zimbabwean designer based in Harare. Collin is wearing a neckpiece by Dusty Africa based in Zimbabwe.

(Left to right) Walter Nyanya of Ngoma Nehosho, Chenesai of Chenesai brand, Judith Kaulem, Dr David Kaulen, Marjorie Mazonde, Tendai Faith Mataba and Mithion US Ambassadors Wife.

Make-up by Cherryontop, dressed by Chenesai modeled by Ruth.

Speaking on the collaboration Cherry On Top House Of Beauty says she had the honour of providing makeup services for La Musica 2017. It was our first time and we were not sure what to expect from the event but collaborating with Faz Pixels and Chenesai made the task a breeze. Often times as a makeup artist we seek to capture the vision of the designer and having worked with Chenesai in the past, we managed to bounce off ideas and the result was nothing short of amazing. I knew the kind of make up that would be perfect for the Chenesai apparel on the runaway and Faz Pixels was present to capture all these magical moments in a way very few could.

Cherryontop hard at work backstage before the Chenesai show.

His pictures will go a long way in showcasing his eye for perfect moments as well as boost my profile. I've started calling the three of us the dream team because through working together, we will surely achieve our dreams and then some. Being part of the La Musica, granted me the rarer opportunity to network with people I would not meet on an ordinary day. My experience at La Musica 2017 edition came with a lot of wisdom I will continue to use. Quite an experience I would love to relive.

(From left to right) Tendai Faith Mataba. TheFazPixels and Charmaine Turquieno.

This is what Faz Pixels had to say about the collaboration, prior business ventures have made me skeptical about collaborations. Particularly the idea of applying 100% effort while your partner puts in 40%. I have since learned that just like anything else it’s a process of trial and elimination. I have been lucky to finally find individuals who share similar vision, passion and drive. Chenesai and Cherry On Top have literally changed how I operate as a photographer for the better. Musica 2017 is a living testament of this.

Micasa performing at the La Musica 2017.

It is one thing being a guy with a camera on the side of the stage trying to get a decent shot of a model on the runway. It is another when you witness the process of the garment construction as well as the styling of the hair and makeup until the final moment when its all in place. This has made me a better photographer, one that always aspires to capture brilliant shots that do justice to the work put in by Chenesai and Cherry On top. Musica 2017 was a big stage for us all but it felt very intimate as we operated as a family and a well-oiled machine. A great honour and pleasure to work with this dream team and I hope we do even bigger things at Musica 2018.

Veteran musician Oliver Mtukudzi entertaining revellers at the La Musica 2017.