Bringing fashion to the people
Say hello to Dennis Hendricks - the man behind Katutura Fashion Week (KFW).
Katutura could stand for a lot of important things, like diverse cultures or its rich historical heritage. However, model Dennis Hendricks, real name Hendrik Muashindange Muatara, could just have the most important job of them all on Katutura's fashion scene. A model by trade, founder of KFW and DH Exclusive Modelling Agency, and overall hard worker, let's meet a man who is conquering all things behind the scenes to help build our fashion and modelling industries.
The first-ever annual KFW commenced yesterday with an exhibition day, where different exhibitors are displaying and selling their garments at Katutura Youth Complex. The event will conclude tomorrow at the National Independence Memorial Museum Restaurant with the Fashion Week Award ceremony. “It has been a crazy journey leading up to the actual event. The KFW team have been working hard since the beginning of this year and now our vision is being realised,” said Hendricks.
On why he started KFW, Hendricks shared that this was his way of ploughing something back into the community, adding that with KFW he created a brand that embraces and represents all Namibians. “When you look at Namibia's fashion industry, it is not intact because certain individuals push the agenda of exclusivity; forgetting that if we want to build this industry we have to involve everybody and be as authentic as we can be.
“With KFW, Namibians get to understand that even if you are a self-taught designer and have not gone to university to study fashion you are not left out. You are still talented in your own right and that opportunities and platforms are created for everybody,” argued Hendricks.
He announced that the Namibian government through the ministry of foreign affairs has expressed its interest in supporting KFW, a gesture he does not take lightly. “They reached out to me and it felt like a dream because government hardly supports fashion entities, so this means a lot to the team. For government to get involved, it must have seen something significant,” he said.
Recounting his journey in the modelling world, the model said that he started doing modelling when he was still in high school. His first big gig was being featured in an international television advert for Reebok in the late 1990s. He emphasised that he got into the modelling arena to enhance the fashion industry in Namibia, help upgrade it and involve the black community. “I got into the industry during its darkest period in Namibia. The profession was shunned by many and it came with so many stereotypes.”
Having been in the industry for so many years, Hendricks attributes his longevity to passion, tenacity and having a vision. He noted that in this industry, companies and individuals would want to work with you, not only because you are amenable and easy to work with, but the secret is studying the market and knowing how to go about executing your ideas. “Often, models have the tendency of relying on their agents to do all the work on their behalf. I was not like that, I had to get involved with everything as much as I could and that is what got me far.
“I have done billboards, advertising, print and almost everything a model could dream of. In all that I have always kept myself humble,” said Hendricks.
His highlights include being in the Reebok television commercial, being the face of Kongoma Africa Dance 2018, and being the overall winner of the Best Male Model Face of Southern Africa Fashion Awards 2014-2016, to mention but just a few.
“I used to sacrifice my last money and take Intercape to go for castings in other countries. Little did I know I was building my portfolio, because I ended up getting calls from different countries and ended up on billboards.
“To get on a billboard is not an easy thing and I have probably been on eight billboards in my life,” he said.
MICHAEL KAYUNDE
The first-ever annual KFW commenced yesterday with an exhibition day, where different exhibitors are displaying and selling their garments at Katutura Youth Complex. The event will conclude tomorrow at the National Independence Memorial Museum Restaurant with the Fashion Week Award ceremony. “It has been a crazy journey leading up to the actual event. The KFW team have been working hard since the beginning of this year and now our vision is being realised,” said Hendricks.
On why he started KFW, Hendricks shared that this was his way of ploughing something back into the community, adding that with KFW he created a brand that embraces and represents all Namibians. “When you look at Namibia's fashion industry, it is not intact because certain individuals push the agenda of exclusivity; forgetting that if we want to build this industry we have to involve everybody and be as authentic as we can be.
“With KFW, Namibians get to understand that even if you are a self-taught designer and have not gone to university to study fashion you are not left out. You are still talented in your own right and that opportunities and platforms are created for everybody,” argued Hendricks.
He announced that the Namibian government through the ministry of foreign affairs has expressed its interest in supporting KFW, a gesture he does not take lightly. “They reached out to me and it felt like a dream because government hardly supports fashion entities, so this means a lot to the team. For government to get involved, it must have seen something significant,” he said.
Recounting his journey in the modelling world, the model said that he started doing modelling when he was still in high school. His first big gig was being featured in an international television advert for Reebok in the late 1990s. He emphasised that he got into the modelling arena to enhance the fashion industry in Namibia, help upgrade it and involve the black community. “I got into the industry during its darkest period in Namibia. The profession was shunned by many and it came with so many stereotypes.”
Having been in the industry for so many years, Hendricks attributes his longevity to passion, tenacity and having a vision. He noted that in this industry, companies and individuals would want to work with you, not only because you are amenable and easy to work with, but the secret is studying the market and knowing how to go about executing your ideas. “Often, models have the tendency of relying on their agents to do all the work on their behalf. I was not like that, I had to get involved with everything as much as I could and that is what got me far.
“I have done billboards, advertising, print and almost everything a model could dream of. In all that I have always kept myself humble,” said Hendricks.
His highlights include being in the Reebok television commercial, being the face of Kongoma Africa Dance 2018, and being the overall winner of the Best Male Model Face of Southern Africa Fashion Awards 2014-2016, to mention but just a few.
“I used to sacrifice my last money and take Intercape to go for castings in other countries. Little did I know I was building my portfolio, because I ended up getting calls from different countries and ended up on billboards.
“To get on a billboard is not an easy thing and I have probably been on eight billboards in my life,” he said.
MICHAEL KAYUNDE
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