Pfeka

Pfeka is a clothing brand for everyday clothing – formal wear, activewear as well as casuals with a subtle touch of African prints and patterns.

Pfeka, Zimbabwean Shona language for WEAR, produces its own fabrics showing the true prints, patterns, uniqueness and meaning inspired by African nature, wild, culture and history.^[1]

The online platform is open for creativity and imagination bringing the African culture and interest to life through the unique designs on clothing and accessories.^[2]

Origins

Pfeka was founded by Netherlands-based Zimbabwean fashion designer Eglet Mtengwa Nyabvure in 2018.

Mtengwa Nyabvure said she quit her job in Holland in May 2018 to follow her passion and that was when she launched Pfeka.

She also started doing consultancy work in Technology solutions, making use of the experience I had gained during my professional life.^[3] She said:

The company’s mission has been focused on making available customised African accent fashion; fashion tailored specifically according to an individual’s taste.
Pfeka has as well as ready-made pieces, which are Pfeka’s in-house designs ready to be purchased. With the world becoming a global village, the need to carry an identity, a culture, an interest and have that visible in a lifestyle is becoming vital in most people’s lives.
Through our brand, one can have a wardrobe of meaningful clothing and reduce the rate at which clothes are being disposed of.
The personal touch and the uniqueness of our clothes will make it hard for the owner to easily dispose of them as they will be fashionable and unique.
We also make new clothes from old clothes, so when an item which is valuable to the owner has become boring and dull, we revamp it with some Pfeka touch and thus add more life to it (recycle it).

Events

After migrating to Europe, Eglet could not find high-quality modern wear with a touch of African print, so she started to draw/design how she wanted her pieces to be.

That was how she found her passion and started the whole process of designing and professionally producing clothes.

Among her products, Eglet designed the Masvingo print, a fabric inspired by Great Zimbabwe to have a true representation of Zimbabwe through the clothes. This is how Pfeka was born.^[4] She said:

Being a woman and minority in the engineering industry, the issue of identity was close to my heart. I always wanted to stand out and make sure I stayed authentic.
When we moved to Europe it got even so apparent because being black was added to the equation, so I decided to wear clothes that would represent who I am, a beautiful ‘mwana wevhu’ — A Zimbabwean daughter of the soil and an African.
I wanted to wear clothes that I could relate to, so I added some African prints into my wardrobe, but looking at it, these African prints were all shouting Zambia, Ghana, Nigeria and other countries, except Zimbabwe.
The fabrics and materials were also too colourful, too bold and I couldn’t find something quite subtle carrying a powerful statement and of premium quality.

Trivia

Eglet's inspiration is Ethiopian athlete Tirunesh Dibaba. Dibaba was the 5 000 metres world record holder until 2020 when Letesenbet Gidey broke her world record. Said Eglet:

She is such a fighter, I love her energy, determination, and the fact that she knew that she was born to run, built on it and is now a great success in what she does, and this inspires Pfeka.

Achievements and Recognitions

Eglet sits as a trustee on the Fashion Counsel of Zimbabwe board
Nominated a style icon in the diaspora, representing Zimbabwe
Pfeka now have a physical shop in The Netherlands and a dispatch office in Harare
One of the few brands in Africa creating sports kits and active wear with African detail
Football and rugby fan jerseys
Hosted the rugby team in the Netherlands
Sponsored and dressed the Lock Brothers, high level professional tennis players
Sponsored the U-19 Zim netball team