Anifa Mvuemba Makes History With Her Brand Hanifa's Virtual 3D Fashion Show

Anifa M is a 29-year-old black fashion designer with Congolese and Kenyan roots. Anifa began her fashion brand Hanifa when she just 21, by creating her own outfits and designs for friends. With the assistance of social media, Hanifa has continued to flourish and has been worn by Lizzo, Ciara, Karrueche Tran, Claire Sulmers, and many more!

This past weekend, Anifa shocked the world and broke the internet with a virtual 3D fashion show to premiere the newest Hanifa collection, Pink Label Congo. The 3D fashion show premiered via Instagram live, the fashion show included information about the inspiration behind the Congo inspired line. Throughout the presentation, Anifa discussed the Coltan mining conditions in the Congo and how they have negatively impacted young children and families. According to the live show “60-70% of the world’s coltan comes from Congo and it is sold illegally through the black market.” Designing this collection with the purpose of raising awareness for mining conditions will hopefully lead to better conditions and aid for people that have been affected. Most importantly, Anifa wants for people to start doing their own research on Congo and to feel empowered by this capsule collection.

“I did prints my own way, I did color my own way. And every single color palette that we used in this collection has meaning to it. It has intention behind it. It has a story. It has purpose.” - Anifa M

Once the fashion show commenced, 3D models strutted to the beat of African drums. The movement, the flow, the curves of the 3D model bodies, and the details in every design were meticulous and executed exceptionally. The pieces in the new collection feature alluring prints, ruching, cinched waist lines, and formfitting silhouettes. What’s most breathtaking about this reveal is how authentic the physique of the 3D models appeared in comparison to real women. Hanifa’s digital debut for their Pink Congo Collection is absolutely revolutionary; a testament to how limitless the curation and presentation of garments can be with technology. For future brands that may attempt to mimic what Anifa has accomplished with the use of technology for her brand, they should surely give credit where it’s due. Anifa has reformed the future of fashion and the way in which the masses are able to consume it.

Watch the fashion show down below.

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Riddled with a painful history, the beauty of Congo is often untapped and overlooked. The gentleness, beauty, history, poise, majesty, strength, power, and hope of the Congolese spirit inspired this collection. When creating each piece, I was reminded of the stories my mother told me of the women she knew back home in Congo. Women who suffered great loss but still, mustered every ounce of strength everyday to show up. My hope is that this collection inspires all women to stand tall in their power and like the Democratic Republic of Congo, to use their history, whether pretty or painful — to redesign their future. My country, the land of Congo, is ripe with an abundance of natural resources — the greatest of which are its people — its women. Hanifa presents.... Pink Label Congo. Now available at Hanifa.co

A post shared by Hanifa (@hanifaofficial) on May 22, 2020 at 9:39pm PDT

Shop the #PinkLabelCongo Collection!