| Saturday, 05 November 2011 22:51 |
By Elizabeth Tungaraza When it comes to the wedding day, everyone expects everything to be perfect. From the bride in her traditional all-white and the bridegroom in his all black to the maids and the processions, it is a general unwritten rule that everything about this special day has to be more than stunning. Yet with the many weddings that take place in Dar es Salaam, rarely is the attention given to people like Alice Dossi, 29, who not only dress the bride, bridegroom and maids, but also ensure there is glamour and style during the whole ceremony. Alice is an IT-degree graduate, who examined the growing wedding industry in Tanzania and decided to quit her job to follow her dreams. “Every week, I used to see all these people getting married and partying at their weddings and then I asked myself: ‘Why not find something to supply?” she recalls.And she did not just find ‘something to supply’. Alice had always wanted to be a designer. With the wedding idea, she had found her niche. “I decided to design wedding gowns as well as outfits for sendoff and kitchen parties,” she says. With a small capital of only Sh300,000, she started designing wedding gowns, quitting her sales and marketing job at CYSCORP to venture into fulltime designing. That was in January this year. She is grateful that a few of her first clients gave her down payments, which she used as the springboard for her new enterprise. Ten months down the line, Alice is confident that she pressed the right button. Her business in now worth over Sh40 million. “This is where my heart is. Designing has always been my dream career. I believe after working for several NGOs since 2005, I have finally found my place,” says the designer.Apparently, Alice has fabric and thread for, not only Tanzanians, but also for clients beyond our borders. Her business has grown by leaps and bounds. “My clients are increasing day by day, and not only in Tanzania but beyond,” she says. “I have new clients in Sweden, Denmark, the UK, Uganda and Kenya.” Alice, who started with five clients, says she now receives at least three to four new orders every week. “I provide hundreds of wedding dresses each week because I also do for the maids,” she says. To be consistently in touch with her growing list of clients, she has established a blog: alicefashionworld.blogspot.com. And as testimony to her growing business, her clients have an option to use banks cards to make payments at the Point of Payment machines. So, what is the secret to her growing popularity in the fashion-designing field? For her, creativity and quality clothing is the way to go.“When I started this business I did not want to be just one of your usual kind of designers. I believe that a good name speaks for itself.” Who is her role model? “Vida Mahimbo is my role model in fashion. I really love Vida Mahimbo’s designs,” she says. For this designer, her achievements over the past few months are just the beginning. Alice sees a lot of potential in the fashion industry. “Right now my next step is to network with the right people for the growth of the business. I have started on a high note and I hope to keep up the pace.” Her destination is a place on the international fashion scene. But in her fast lane to fame, there are many mountains to climb before she achieves that, and Alice is fully aware of that. “There are people who have nothing to offer you but each time they open their mouths all they do is talk you down,” she says, adding: “For example, there are people who look down upon you and call you names like ‘she is just a tailor’. But I am not that easily taken down.” Her success in the past few months has obviously ruffled a few feathers among her competitors and members of her community who witnessed her humble beginning, and like the Biblical Thomas, doubted she would and could make it. Her critics have not seen anything yet, says Alice, who is married to respected gospel musician David Robert. In addition to designing, she has also started providing catering, decoration and car hiring services for weddings. “The idea is to be able to be a one-stop shop for wedding services,” she says. The designer sees her growth as positive signs of women empowerment in the country. “This society would not have grown like this had it not been for women empowerment,” says Alice. Her firm employs 20 workers. “By January next year, I have plans to offer them medical cover.” Email: etungaraza@tz.nationmedia.com Read the whole article press the link http://thecitizen.co.tz/sunday-citizen/38-soundliving/16832-the-designer-on-a-fast-lane-to-fame.html |
