Camer Couture – Cameroon C’est Chic!
Camer Couture aims to address the gap in representing and supporting Cameroonian talent. Catch a Vibe caught up with the people behind it at a casting for their debut fashion showcase, just down the road from the Shoreditch Studios, where the vibrant event took place at on Sat 17 Oct 09.
CEO and show co-ordinator Cynthia Anduhtabe, PR and marketing duo Ngum Ngafor and Isabel Bezeng as well as co-ordinator Soraya Sone and Creative Director Alex Quest came together because they all shared the same vision and saw something that wasn’t being addressed – so many Cameroonians doing well but that were isolated.
Camer Couture aims to expose the talent that has so far been left unheard, to break stereotypes and show a side to the ‘Africa in miniature’ not seen before as well as give a platform for emerging and established fashion designers. Six months of planning and the group have put together their debut fashion showcase in Shoreditch, which took place at the weekend (17 October).
The company is still only emerging itself but has already garnered attention from the fashion and media worlds. The show aimed to reflect Camer Couture’s ethos and Cameroonian fashion itself – a kaleidoscope of styles – diverse, colourful , versatile and vibrant. Something that very much mirrors the culture and its people – a nation made up of over 200 ethnic and linguistic groups.
In the debut show, both the designers and models reflected this sense of diversity, with ‘afro-eccentric’ Anggy Haif, ‘elegant’ Olivia Ervi who owns a boutique in Cannes , KiRette Couture, ‘versatile’ Bot I Am, Ms Mi and ‘flamboyant’ RoVISa. Together, these designers presented something ‘atypical’ and provided a bridge between the established and up and coming within the scene.
The whole team understand what it takes to start up something like Camer Couture – all of them juggle organising and promoting the cause with jobs, studying and raising families. Cynthia states to put aside the time for an ambition like this requires: “passion and determination”. For anyone out there looking to get into fashion and set up an organisation like this, the people behind Camer Couture say: “just do it. You have to pay attention to quality and be business-minded but even if you have no money to start with you can still make it. You will get the sceptics but persevere”.
“It’s about bringing the Cameroonian talent all in one place”, says Cynthia. This transcends beyond fashion to various different sectors, such as business and arts. The company is also supporting Cameroonian culture in other ways, through a charity organisation helping the Baka people – one of the oldest ethnic groups in Cameroon. They are traditionally semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers, who are experts in forest life and renowned for their hunting, musical and dancing skills. However, they are increasingly seeing their traditional ways encroached upon for various reasons. Camer Couture is supporting Global Music Exchange, which is working to educate the Baka on human rights and raise their status within the country. Proceeds from the raffle sale organised during the show went to supporting this community preserve their ways.
So with a successful show under their belt – attended by prominent members of the media and fashion world – and a show that surely put all the stops out to provide a vibrant event of colour, music, art and good style, what next for Camer Couture? For the team behind it, they hope to expand in the future to showcase and expose talent from across the continent. They believe Africa now has the opportunities available to develop and be recognised on the same stage as the mainstream fashion players in the West. They are aware it is not easy to organise but in terms of getting African fashion recognised: “we need to step up – Africa is the future”.
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