Repurposing fashion waste for a greener future
Fashion designer and patchworker Rudo Orpah Mutsago is using creativity to transform textile waste into fashion products while promoting environmental responsibility through her Waste To Fashion project.
Orpah, is the founder of Rudo Orpah Designs, designs and makes clothing using locally available fabrics in Zimbabwe, with her work also focusing on giving discarded fabric offcuts a new purpose.
In a conversation with The List Awards by Identities Media, Orpah said her passion for fashion and concern for the environment inspired the Waste To Fashion project.
“We design and make clothes using our local fabrics here in Zimbabwe. As a fashion designer who loves her job and enjoys working with every piece of fabric that I come across, we have embarked on a project called Waste To Fashion,” she said.
The project seeks to reduce textile waste by encouraging the reuse of fabric materials that would otherwise be discarded. Orpah said she has also been working with local fashion houses to create designated points where unwanted fabric offcuts can be collected.
“We have raised awareness to safeguard our environment by ensuring that local fashion houses should have designated points where they put their offcuts so that those who make use of them like us will just go there and collect them from those points,” she said.
The initiative also provides an opportunity for people collecting the offcuts to earn an income, while contributing to efforts to reduce waste within communities.
Orpah’s journey in fashion began after she moved to Botswana with her family, where she experienced financial difficulties and decided to use her sewing skills to improve her circumstances.
She started Rudo Orpah Designs with a sewing machine borrowed from a friend, initially using clothing alterations as her entry point into the market. She later had her promotional flyers translated into Setswana to overcome the language barrier and expand her customer base.
Following her return to Zimbabwe, the business was established in Harare and has since been registered.
Reflecting on her recognition as a semi-finalist under the Climate and Environmental Impact Award Orpah said the acknowledgement has strengthened her belief in the value of her work in the fashion and patchwork industry. She also noted that if she was to make it to the finals it would be an honor to her
“Being a finalist makes me feel humbled. In the sense that being a finalist, I have been seen as someone who has something in my fashion and patchwork industry,” she said.
She said the recognition has motivated her to remain focused on developing Rudo Orpah Designs, with her commitment to the business extending beyond the outcome of The List Awards.