Dzimba Dze Mabwe: Chjaa’s journey toward a Zimbabwean Fabric

A family visit to Great Zimbabwe is the source of inspiration that sparked Chjaa’s transformation from a fashion and lifestyle brand that broadly focused on an African aesthetic, to a fashion and lifestyle brand that specifically focuses on developing a uniquely Zimbabwean aesthetic.

Great Zimbabwe and the Khami National Monument in the West of Bulawayo are among Zimbabwe’s top historical sites. Khami was once the capital of the stone-age Torwa Dynasty which arose from the fall of Great Zimbabwe. It was a major center of trade at the time. Like Great Zimbabwe, the Khami monument consists of elaborate stone structures that are made of rocks that have been arranged to form symbols similar to those at Great Zimbabwe.

These symbols and rock formations (that we happened to see at Great Zimbabwe but that exist at other sites across the country) have been interpreted by Chjaa as speaking to nationally shared values. When thinking about this in the context of fabric, therefore, the use of these symbols allows the fabric to be nationally representative and inclusive, rather than tribal.

In December 2014, we decided to take a spontaneous trip through Great Zimbabwe on our way to Harare after a visit to family in Jerera. At the age of 21, it was my first time to visit Great Zimbabwe. Obert and Celia (Co-founder of Chjaa Enterprises), were also first-time visitors. Our mother, Hesphina, had visited before. Our tour guide was a young man, no older than 22 at the time, who gracefully walked us through the magnificent stone structures and explained the elaborate history of the Zimbabwe Kingdom.

A photo at the entrance to great Zimbabwe in December 2014 (From left to right: Celia Rukato- Co-founder of Chjaa; Obert Takudzwa Rukato; Dr. Hesphina Rukato- Co-founder of Chjaa; Wadeisor Rukato)

He carefully explained how the Hill Complex, the Valley Complex, and the Great Enclosure were constructed, when they were occupied and why they were important. While there are varying historical interpretations of each of the Complexes, it has been suggested by archaeologists that the different Complexes may represent the work of successive kings.

The soapstone carvings of the 8 Zimbabwe birds are among the most notable artifacts that were found at the Great Zimbabwe Monument. The stone carved Zimbabwe bird is the national emblem of Zimbabwe and can be found on the Zimbabwean national flag and coat of arms, former Zimbabwean Dollar banknotes and more recently, on the Chjaa ZIMROCKS Scarf.

As we prepared to leave great Zimbabwe on the day we visited, it poured heavily with rain. We sat huddled under a covering along with fellow visitors who told jokes about how ferocious the rain was, as we all waited for it to soften. Our particular conversation, however, was about our individual and collective fascination with the incredible attention to detail in the architecture of the structures at Great Zimbabwe. This conversation was the start of what would become brainstorming on how to translate the symbols and images from Great Zimbabwe, loaded with meaning and symbolism, into a printable textile that could be used to create clothing.

Marveling at the grandeur of Great Zimbabwe: Our guide explaining the history of the structures to us.

Toward a Chjaa Fabric

In addition to the symbol and image of the Zimbabwe bird, four other important symbols underpin the stone arrangements that characterize the architecture of Great Zimbabwe and the Khami Monument.

• The chevron pattern symbolizes fertility;
• the herringbone pattern indicates lineage and succession;
• the dentelle pattern is a sign of political power;
• and the check pattern is a symbol of unity.

In frenzied discussions on how to make the richness of these symbols more accessible, we decided to make them the basis of a fabric project that would be our first critical departure point from simply using fabrics that told an African story, to designing, and in fact creating fabrics that would tell a Zimbabwean story.

 

We did not let any of the inspiration from the trip and subsequent conversations about the experience go to waste. Within a week of our visit to Great Zimbabwe, we had already begun a conversation with a graphic designer from South Africa who we tasked with assisting us to turn the 5 symbols into a pattern that would translate well to textile print, reflect the essence of Zimbabwe that we aimed to portray, and also just look good when worn.

 

The back and forth consultation process with the first graphic designer was no small feat, and the designs that we started out with are a far cry from the incredible designs we are now printing, retailing and using to create garments and accessories for our customers.

A later iteration of the fabric design that was created in consultation with a graphic designer in the weeks after the trip to Great Zimbabwe. An earlier version can be seen at the top of the article.

What is undoubtedly clear, however, is that the process of actively working toward a series of designs that would be workable was one that was both unavoidable and important.

We were doing something that had not been successfully done before; creating a Zimbabwean fabric that was neutral, non-party related and could be adopted by all Zimbabweans.

While an attempt was made in 2005 to launch a Zimbabwean fabric by Aeneas Chigwedere, the Minister of Education, Sports and Culture at the time, the idea did not catch on widely.

Over time, we have progressed from a stage where we simply threw the symbols together because we knew they were important for the message we wanted to create, to designing fabrics that we believe speak very strongly to both national pride and to fashion! Subsequent to our consultations with the initial designer we had been working with, we started consulting a graphic designer from Ethiopia who truly breathed life into the earlier designs; he was able to merge the symbols into patterns and formations that are inspiring, creative and representative. Almost four years down the line, these are the designs that we now print on fabric ourselves and use to make clothing and accessories.

This post is the first in a three-part series that will introduce the Chjaa fabrics. In further celebrating the journey of the Chjaa fabrics, the second post in this series will profile the fabrics that have currently been created and that are on the market. The third and final post will be a photo essay that looks at what this fabric can and have become when they are shaken out, cut up and sewn into beautiful garments.