I am tall but am a size 6, super small, extra small, or whatever else it may be called. Anywhere else in the world this combination does not present any problems but here, it does. Firstly, they do not stock my size in their stores and secondly they do not have a tall range. In the event that I find something that is my size, the sleeves or trousers are not long enough. Thank God for the boyfriend trend so I am forced to roll up the pants or jacket sleeves.
Then there are the petite ladies. They may be a size 8 or 10 but they are short, so their trousers and long-sleeved items of clothing are too long. They could have their trousers hemmed shorter but that may alter the design of the garment. If the trousers are flared, cutting off that part means that only a small part will be flared, making the pair of trousers look awkward. For the women with big busts, bras that fit well and give adequate support are like finding needles in a haystack.
Sam Levy’s Village is the closest thing we have to a shopping mall in Harare and even there, shopping for clothes is not the greatest of experiences. I was there this past week with a friend who was down from Cape Town. We decided to walk around and window shop, and at the end of 45 minutes, absolutely nothing had caught our attention.
Do not get me wrong, some of the stores had good quality stuff, two of which are local brands, but if you are not looking for a t-shirt or ethnic wear, you are doomed. There was also an upmarket women’s shop for those who are inspired by Michelle Obama’s style. For the men, they had the usual shirts, jeans and t-shirts but once again nothing that made one want to look twice.
The greatest disappointment for me was the two stores that are a shameful comparison to their South African counterparts. The window dressing on one of the stores is just a mess. There are too many pictures covering the windows from top to bottom, making it difficult to see into the store.Once you walk in, the mess unfolds. Shoes are tied together and dumped on a shelf. They are piled on top of each other, squashing the shape of some of them. Clothes are not displayed in a manner that says “buy me”. Then you look at the clothes themselves. Some of the tailoring is just poorly done, the fabric used is horrible and generally, there is nothing trendy in the store.
The second store revamped its interior and set-up but the stock could be a lot better. Both stores could learn a lot from South African shops. The only thing they really have going for them, at the moment, is that people can buy their clothes and perfumes on credit.
As far as supplying the market with trendy clothes goes, the informal clothing market is doing a better job, that is, the stores down town, the flea markets, the people that import from China and Dubai and all the other informal traders. At least they look like they study trends to some degree and know what is in and what is out. My only problem with them is that they bring in too many of the same thing.
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I do not want to be up and about minding my own business and run into 20 people wearing the same thing as I am. Even if we mixed it up differently, I would rather not. The bales from Mozambique are increasing in popularity and serious contenders for formal clothes traders. The clothes may be second-hand but they are good quality and affordable.
Tips for fashion buyers
Fashion buyers should study the market demographics. We would all like to be able to find clothes, shoes, underwear, locally, whether we have a triple D bust, a narrow foot, or a XXX-L, or super small, or petite.
Do not forget to bring in the basic stuff like belts for holding up jeans, in all sizes, tank tops, secret socks, the list could go on.
Do not rip us off in broad daylight either by charging exorbitant prices. Some of the importers bring in trendy clothing and shoes but their prices are ridiculous. We are neither naive nor gullible. A pair of Rage shoes cannot retail for US$75.
Watch the trends closely and supply us with that. Slim-fit shirts and suits are very in, especially for the brothers with smaller frames. You travel widely, so emulate some of the things you know would improve your customers’ shopping experience. You may argue that budgets differ but things like orderly store layouts do not cost much.
